Arianespace Successfully Launches Four O3b Networks Satellites

Arianespace’s Soyuz launcher has begun its 10th mission from the Spaceport in French Guiana, carrying four satellites that will expand O3b Networks’ pioneering connectivity service.
Soyuz – the medium-lift member of Arianespace’s launch vehicle family – is to deploy its satellite passengers on a flight lasting 2 hrs., 22 min. Total payload lift performance is estimated at 3,180 kg., including a combined mass of about 2,800 kg. for the four spacecraft.

Operating from a medium-Earth altitude, the O3b Networks spacecraft will deliver telecommunications and Internet services to Asia, Africa, South America, Australia and the Middle East – combining the global reach of satellite coverage with the speed of a fiber-optic network.

Today’s mission is designated Flight VS10 in Arianespace’s numbering system.