Mission Update: Flight 130 – Ariane 5 ready for transfer

Arianespace’s third commercial flight of an Ariane 5 heavy-lift launcher remains on schedule as final steps in the Launcher Integration Building are completed at Europe’s Spaceport.
 
Activity during the past few days included installation of the remaining insulation and protective covers on the launcher. The vehicle will be transferred to the Final Assembly Building on July 6, clearing the way for installation of the two satellite payloads and the protective payload fairing.
 
The payloads for this mission are the SociÈtÈ EuropÈenne des Satellites (SES) Astra 2B and GE Americom’s GE-7. When installed atop the launcher, Astra 2B will be in the upper position, protected by the payload fairing and riding atop Ariane 5’s Sylda 5 multiple satellite deployment system. GE-7 is in the lower position, housed inside the Sylda 5.
 
Philippe Rolland, Arianespace’s mission director for Flight 130, said GE-7 was filled on with propellant for propulsion and station-keeping June 28 and June 30, and while Astra 2B received its propellant in a two-step process on June 30 and today.
 
The GE-7 satellite is a Lockheed Martin Space Systems A2100-series spacecraft, with a launch mass of approximately 1,935 kg. To be located at an orbital position of 137 deg. West Longitude, GE-7 is an all C-band satellite that will permit coverage of all 50 states and the Caribbean. GE-7 transponders will primarily provide distribution for cable television programmers requiring regional or national video programming distribution. GE-7 is a replacement for Satcom C1, currently operating at 137* West Longitude.
 
Astra 2B will be located at 28.2 deg. East, over central Africa. Using an Astrium EuroStar 2000+ satellite bus, the spacecraft will have an estimated in-orbit lifetime of 14 years – joining SES’ network of spacecraft that provide analog and digital television channels to 78 million households within the ASTRA footprint.