Arianespace Orbits Two Digital HDTV Satellites, SKY Brasil-1 and Telkom 3S, on Ariane 5’s 77th Successful Launch in a Row

Arianespace has successfully launched two satellites: SKY Brasil-1 for AT&T/DIRECTV; and Telkom 3S for Telkom Indonesia as part of a turnkey contract with Thales Alenia Space.
The flight took place on Tuesday, February 14, 2017 at 6:39 p.m. (local time) from the Guiana Space Center, Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Christophe Sirugue, French Minister of State for Industry, was on hand for the launch.

Today’s launch was the second of the year for Arianespace and the first with the Ariane 5 heavy launcher, which also recorded its 77th successful mission in a row.

SKY Brasil-1 is the 10th satellite launched by Arianespace for AT&T/DIRECTV, a world
leading provider of digital television programs. Its previous mission for this operator was in May 2015, with an Ariane 5 dual launch that orbited SKY Mexico-1 and DIRECTV-15. AT&T subsidiary DIRECTV Latin America provides services to more than 12.5 million subscribers, mainly in Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Brazil.

SKY Brasil-1 is a high-definition direct-to-home (DTH) TV broadcast satellite, covering Brazil and the north Atlantic Ocean.

Launch Video

Telkom 3S is the third satellite to be launched by Arianespace for Telkom Indonesia, this time as part of a turnkey contract with Thales Alenia Space. The previous satellites for this operator, Telkom 1 and Telkom 2, were launched by Arianespace in 1999 and 2005, respectively. All Telkom Indonesia satellites now in operation were orbited by Arianespace.

Telkom Indonesia is an Indonesian state-owned company that supplies telecommunications, information, media and entertainment services (TIMES) to millions of customers throughout the Indonesian archipelago. Telkom 3S will provide high-definition television (HDTV) broadcast services, as well as mobile communications and Internet applications, with a coverage zone spanning Indonesia, Southeast Asia and a portion of Malaysia.

Arianespace and Airbus Defence and Space have teamed up since the European launch services company was founded in 1980. SKY Brasil-1 is the 116th satellite built by Airbus Defence and Space (or its predecessors) to be launched by Arianespace, which has 17 more satellites produced by the company in its order book, not including the satellites in the OneWeb constellation.

Arianespace and Thales Alenia Space have worked together since 1981. Including Telkom 3S, Arianespace has launched 146 satellites built by Thales Alenia Space (or its predecessors), and has nine more satellites from this manufacturer in its order book.

The first Ariane 5 flight of the year was also the 77th successful launch in a row of Ariane 5, a string of successes that reaches back to 2003 and clearly demonstrates the exceptional reliability of Arianespace’s heavy launcher. This year’s Arianespace mission manifest includes up to 7 Ariane 5 launches in 2017 – a “Triple 7” for Ariane 5!

Full Launch Mission Video

Shortly after the announcement of the orbital injection of the two satellites, Stéphane Israël, Chairman and CEO of Arianespace, said: “Arianespace carried out its first Ariane 5 launch of the year this evening for our American and Indonesian customers, also marking the 77th successful launch in a row of our heavy launcher. We are both pleased and proud to have carried out this successful mission in the presence of Christophe Sirugue, French Minister of State for Industry; and Jean-Luc Moudenc, Mayor of Toulouse and President of the Community of Ariane Cities for 2017. We are honored by the ongoing trust expressed by the operators AT&T/DIRECTV, for whom we have orbited 10 satellites since 1993, and Telkom Indonesia, for whom we have launched all satellites now in operation. I would also like to thank our long-standing partners Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space, who built the two satellites launched on this mission.

“Congratulations to all partners who contributed to the exceptional reliability and availability of our Ariane 5 launcher: the European Space Agency (ESA), which provides essential support for the Ariane program; Airbus Safran Launchers and the entire European launcher industry; CNES/CSG, our ground segment companies and all staff at the space center, who continue to work alongside us as we go from success to success. And of course I would like to congratulate everybody at Arianespace for this successful second launch of the year.”

About Arianespace

Arianespace uses space to make life better on Earth by providing launch services for all types of satellites into all orbits. It has orbited more than 550 satellites since 1980, using its family of three launchers, Ariane, Soyuz and Vega, from launch sites in French Guiana (South America) and Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Arianespace is headquartered in Evry, near Paris, and has a technical facility at the Guiana Space Center, Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, plus local offices in Washington, D.C., Tokyo and Singapore. Arianespace is a subsidiary of Airbus Safran Launchers, which holds 74% of its share capital, with the balance held by 17 other shareholders from the European launcher industry.