Eurasiasat 1


Flight 137 will loft the Eurasiasat 1 space vehicle into its projected orbit the first half of January 2001.

Arianespace will open its 2001 launch schedule with the liftoff of Flight 137 in the first half of January, which will carry the Eurasiasat 1 payload.

The mission had been postponed from December to allow additional checkout of the Eurasiasat 1 satellite, as requested by the customer.

Eurasiasat 1 has been removed from its Ariane 4 and transferred to one of the Spaceport’s satellite preparation facilities for inspection.

Built by Alcatel Space, Eurasiasat 1 is one of the most powerful spacecraft produced in Europe. It is equipped with 32 high-power Ku-band transponders for broadcast via two fixed beams and two steerable beams. The fixed beams cover Europe, Turkey and Central Asia, while the steerable beams can be pointed where the market dictates – including the Middle East, Russia, India and South Africa.

Flight 137 will be the 102nd launch of an Ariane 4, using a 44P version of the workhorse Ariane 4 family. The Ariane 44P has four solid boosters added to the first stage for augmented thrust at liftoff and during initial ascent.