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Ariane 5
July 4, 2008
5:47-6:21 p.m. EDT
(2147-2221 GMT)
An Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket to orbit the Protostar 1 and BADR 6 communciations satellites from Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana.
Satellite Broadcast Information
Click here for launch webcast.
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MISSION UPDATE
Ariane 5 Rocket to Launch Communications Satellite Pair
For 1:00 p.m. EDT Tuesday July 1, 2008:
An Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket is counting down for a planned Friday launch of two communications satellites, one each for Saudi Arabia and Asia.
The European booster is set to launch between 5:52-6:35 EDT (2152-2235 GMT) from Europe's Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, on Friday, May 30.
Here is a payload description of the two satellites from the Arianespace Web site:
ProtoStar I is based on Space Systems/Loral's 1300 spacecraft bus, and is designed to provide K-band/C-band relay capacity over Asia. It is the first in a fleet of relay platforms that Asian satellite services company ProtoStar plans to deploy for advanced satellite television services and powerful two-way broadband communications access. The spacecraft was designed to meet the needs of both emerging and existing direct-to-home (DTH) operators in Asia, as well as other broadband communication requirements in the region.
Arabsat's BADR-6 satellite was built jointly by EADS Astrium and Alcatel Alenia Space, and will be operated by the Saudi Arabia-based Arabsat. This Ku/C-band relay platform will open up new video broadcasting and telecom services for the entire Middle East and North Africa region, along with a large part of sub-Saharan Africa. The satellite is designed for a lifetime of about 15 years, and is to operate from Arabsat's 26 deg. E geostationary orbital location.
Arianespace will provide live coverage of the space shot via webcast.
Tariq Malik, Senior Editor for SPACE.com.
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About the Rocket |
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About the Launch Site |
Built by Europe's leading aerospace contractors, the
Ariane 5 is operated and marketed by Arianespace. The French Space Agency
(CNES) and the European Space Agency are major partners in the effort. The
two-stage Ariane 5 is more than 15 stories tall and is powered by a single
Vulcain engine and pair of solid rocket boosters. A new cryogenic upper stage
is available that will increase its lifting ability to
26,000 pounds (12,000 kilograms).
Learn more here. |
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The Guiana Space Center sits between the edge of the
Amazon Forest and the Atlantic coast of South America, near the city of
Kourou in the nation of French Guiana. Being close to the equator means
rockets launching here require less energy to reach their proper orbit. So
the same sized rocket can launch heavier payloads compared to sites such as
the Cape.. The tropical conditions are ideal with few launches scrubbed for
weather. Hurricanes are not a threat. Learn more here. |
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