On Monday evening, July 7, Arianespace boosted two telecommunications satellites, providing direct TV broadcast and Internet services, into orbit: ProtoStar I for American operator ProtoStar Ltd. and BADR-6 for Middle-East operator Arabsat.

40th Ariane 5 launch, 26th success in a row

The latest successful launch of an Ariane 5, the fourth in 2008, confirms that Arianespace’s launch Service & Solutions continue to set the global standard for all major telecommunications operators.

Ariane 5 is the only commercial launcher in service today capable of simultaneously launching two payloads.

Direct broadcast and Internet services

Arianespace offers the best choice of launch solutions to meet the specific requirements of both new and seasoned operators.

Launched for a new operator, ProtoStar 1 is a particularly innovative satellite. It will provide high-definition direct-to-home TV transmissions and broadband Internet services to the entire Southeast Asian region. ProtoStar 1 is the 33rd Space Systems/Loral satellite to be launched by Arianespace.

BADR-6 is the sixth satellite to be launched by Arianespace for the satcom operator Arabsat, based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It will provide direct TV broadcasting services for the Middle East and North Africa. A seventh Arabsat satellite is also slated for launch by Arianespace.

ProtoStar I/BADR-6 mission at a glance

The mission was carried out by an Ariane 5 ECA launcher from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Liftoff was on Monday, July 7, at 6:47 pm local time in Kourou (5:47 pm in Washington, D.C., 21:47 UT, 11:47 pm in Paris, and on Tuesday, July 8, at 12:47 am in Riyadh).

Provisional parameters at injection of the cryogenic upper stage (ESC-A) were:

  • Perigee: 249.7 km for a target of 249.4 km (+/-4)
  • Apogee: 35,952 km for a target of 35,922 km (+/-240)
  • Inclination: 2.00 degrees for a target of 2.00 degrees (+/-0.06*)

ProtoStar 1 was built by Space Systems/Loral in Palo Alto, California, using an FS1300 platform. Fitted with 16 Ku-band transponders and 38 C-band transponders, ProtoStar 1 will be positioned at 98.5 degrees East. It weighed 4,200 kg at launch. The coverage zone is primarily Southeast Asia and the Indian sub-continent.

BADR-6 was built by Astrium using a Eurostar 2000+ platform. Weighing 3,400 kg at launch, it is equipped with 24 C-band and 20 Ku-band transponders. BADR-6 will provide direct TV broadcasting services from its orbital position at 26 degrees East. Along with other satellites in the BADR constellation, BADR-6 will provide these services to more than 130 million TV viewers over a vast zone stretching from Morocco to the Persian Gulf, and covering a large part of sub-Saharan Africa.