On its ninth launch of 2015 from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana, and the fifth Ariane 5 mission, Arianespace will teaming up with two major countries in the southern hemisphere to enhance their satellite telecommunications services: with Australian operator nbn for the Sky Muster satellite, and with Argentine operator ARSAT for ARSAT-2. With this strategic launch for the Australia and Argentina, Arianespace proudly supports two new regional operators.
The launch will be carried out from Ariane launch complex No. 3 (ELA 3) in Kourou, French Guiana.
Targeted orbit:
Perigee: 250 km
Apogee: 35,786 km
Inclination: 6 degrees
The Ariane 5 ECA launcher is scheduled to lift off on Wednesday, September 30, 2015 as early as possible within the following launch window:
– 5:30 to 7:15 pm, local time in Kourou, or
– 20:30 to 22:15, UTC
– 5:30 to 7:15 pm, in Buenos Aires
– 10:30 to 00:15 pm, in Paris, during the night of Wednesday, September 30 to Thursday, October 1th, 2015,
– 6:30 to 8:15 am, in Melbourne on Thursday, October 1th, 2015.
The mission, from liftoff to release of the satellites, will last about 32 minutes and 28 seconds.
The launcher will carry a total payload of 10,203 kg on this mission, including approximately 9,417 kg for the two satellites.
The Launch Readiness Review (LRR) will take place on Monday, September 28, 2015 in Kourou, to authorize the start of operations for the final countdown.
Sky Muster is the first satellite orbited by Arianespace for the Australian operator nbn (National Broadband Network). Built by SSL of Palo Alto, California, using a 1300 platform, Sky Muster will extend high-speed Internet coverage to the entire country, including Norfolk, Christmas, Macquarie and Cocos islands.
ARSAT 2 will be the second satellite orbited by Arianespace for the Argentine operator ARSAT, following the successful launch of ARSAT-1 on October 16, 2014. Built by the company INVAP, this satellite will provide services for the Americas including direct-to- home TV broadcasts (DTH), Internet access via VSAT antennas, data transmissions and IP telephony.
To watch a live, high-speed transmission of the launch, go to www.arianespace.com on September 30, 2015 (including local commentary in French or English), starting 17 minutes before liftoff. You can also follow the launch live on your iPhone or iPad (the Arianespace.tv app is free).
About Arianespace
Arianespace is the world’s leading satellite launch company. Founded in 1980, Arianespace deploys a family of three launchers, Ariane, Soyuz and Vega, to meet the needs of both commercial and government customers, and has performed over 250 launches to date. Backed by its 20 shareholders and the European Space Agency, Arianespace is the only company in the world capable of launching all types of payloads into all orbits, from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana. As of September 24, 2015, Arianespace had carried out 225 Ariane launches, 38 Soyuz launches (12 at the Guiana Space Center and 26 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, via Starsem) and five Vega launches. Arianespace is headquartered in Evry, near Paris, and has a facility at the Guiana Space Center, plus local offices in Washington D.C., Tokyo and Singapore.
For further information, download Arianespace’s VA226 launch kit.
