"Arianespace has long supported the development of telecommunications in Japan," said Ariane spokeswoman Birgit Zacher in a prepared statement from the company. Arianespace has16 launch contracts with Japanese satellite operators at this time.
Arianespace is a major commercial space transportation company, comprised of a consortium of European aerospace, electronic and financial institutions which compete aggressively with U.S. commercial launch programs. They have streamlined their launch program turnover to 25 days a time unmatched in the industry, Zacher said.
Wednesday's launch will be the 38th Hughes-constructed satellite launched by Arianespace rockets. The launch will also mark the fourth Superbird satellite boosted into orbit by the European launcher.
The Ariane 44-LP is equipped with two solid propellant boosters and two liquid-propellant strap-on boosters. It is part of the Ariane 4 group of rockets a type very active in the commercial launch services industry since its inaugural flight in 1988.
The ELA 2 launch facility in French Guiana has hosted nearly 100 Ariane launches. The equatorial location is ideal for launches into geostationary orbit -- an orbit that allows a satellite to remain over a particular region as the Earth turns. Arianespace Flight 127 is expected to place the Superbird satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit at 162 east longitude. At that location, it should join an existing Superbird constellation over the Pacific Ocean and improve the satellite communications in the area.
Hughes is the worlds leading manufacturer of commercial communications satellites. They have constructed nearly 40 percent of those currently in operation, said Hughes spokeswoman Diana Ball. Hughes also is a major supplier of spacecraft and equipment to the U.S. government.
advertisement
