Mission update: Ariane 5 is Ready for this Week’s Arianespace Liftoff with EUTELSAT 25B/Es’hail 1 and GSAT-7
The finishing touches are being completed for Arianespace’s heavy-lift Ariane 5 mission from French Guiana this Thursday, with the logos of its EUTELSAT 25B/Es’hail 1 and GSAT-7 passengers now affixed to the launcher’s payload fairing.
Logo placement on the fairing – which protects Ariane 5’s satellites during climb-out through the atmosphere’s lower layers – occurred in the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building.
The mission’s next steps will be its launch readiness review – set for tomorrow – which clears the way for Ariane 5’s rollout to the Spaceport’s ELA-3 launch zone on Wednesday, followed by liftoff on August 29 during a 50-minute launch window that opens at 5:30 p.m. local time in French Guiana.
Positioning of the logos on Ariane 5’s payload fairing represent the integration of its satellite passengers for this fourth Arianespace heavy-lift flight of 2013. Riding in the upper position is EUTELSAT 25B/Es’hail 1, which will be deployed first during the 34-minute-long mission.
The spacecraft will serve the relay requirements of European telecommunications operator Eutelsat Communications and Qatar’s Es’hailSat Satellite Company, delivering television broadcasting, telecommunications and government services in the Ku-band range. Ka-band capability also provided by EUTELSAT 25B/Es’hail 1 will open business opportunities for both operators. Space Systems/Loral (SSL) built the high-power, multi-mission relay platform, which is to be positioned at 25.5 deg. East.
Ariane 5’s second passenger is GSAT-7, developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to provide the country with UHF, S-band, C-band and Ku-band relay capacity. The satellite is adapted from India’s I-2K spacecraft bus and will be operated from an orbital location of 74 deg. East.
Arianespace’s upcoming mission is Ariane Flight VA215 in the company’s launcher family numbering system, signifying the 215th flight of an Ariane-series vehicle from the Spaceport. Its total payload of performance is estimated at 9,790 kg., which includes 8,960 kg. for the two satellite payloads to be injected into geostationary transfer orbit.
