Flight 160 April 9: A double success for Arianespace and Ariane 5

Ariane 5 demonstrated its mission capabilities this evening by delivering a dual-satellite payload into geostationary transfer orbit for Indian and U.S. customers.

Flight 160 lifted off from the Spaceport’s ELA-3 launch complex and deployed the INSAT 3A satellite approximately 27 minutes into the mission, followed by the separation of GALAXY XII about 38 minutes later.

Tonight’s mission used an Ariane 5 Generic launcher version, and it marked the 11th commercial Ariane 5 flight under Arianespace management.

Arianespace CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall said Flight 160 is the first of five Ariane 5 missions targeted during 2003. With this schedule, Arianespace plans a total of six launches during the year, including the Ariane 4’s final mission — which was performed on February 15.

“All of us at Arianespace are committed to giving our customers the very best service, and we have worked extremely hard to achieve tonight’s success,” Le Gall said in comments at the Spaceport’s launch control center.

He said the next Ariane 5 mission will be in early June. It is to carry the Optus C1 satellite for Australia’s Optus and BSAT-2c for Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation (B-SAT) of Japan.

Flight 160’s liftoff tonight had been postponed by 24 hours from yesterday after one of the mission’s two customers requested additional verifications on its satellite payload.

The INSAT 3A satellite carried on Flight 160 was designed and built by the Indian Space Research Organisation in Bangalore, India, and was the 10th Indian payload orbited by an Ariane launcher since Arianespace first teamed with ISRO to launch the organization’s first satellite, Apple, in June 1981.

INSAT 3A has a mixed payload of 6 Ku-band and 18 C-band telecommunications relay transponders, as well as a metrological system and search & rescue locating/positioning equipment. Once positioned at its operational orbital slot of 93.5 deg. East over the Bengal Gulf, the satellite will provide coverage over India.

Tonight’s successful launch was the occasion for an announcement that India has booked two more ISRO payloads with Arianespace for upcoming Ariane 5 missions: INSAT 4A and INSAT 4B. These fourth-generation satellites will have improved capabilities and are to weigh about 3,200 kg. each at liftoff. They will be used for telecommunications over the Indian sub-continent with 12 Ku band and 12 C-band transponders.

The GALAXY XII satellite also carried on Flight 160 was produced in Dulles, Virginia (U.S.A.) by Orbital Sciences Corporation for PanAmSat. It carries 24 C-band transponders and is to provide coverage over the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii from an orbital location of 74 deg. West.

This was the 18th satellite launched by Arianespace for PanAmSat, another long-time customer – which orbited its first spacecraft on Ariane 4’s maiden flight in 1998. The previously-launched payloads include six other GALAXY-series spacecraft carried by Ariane: GALAXY VI (launched along with PanAmSat’s SBS-6 on Flight 39 in October 1990), GALAXY VII in October 1992 on Flight 54, GALAXY IX orbited in June 1993 on Flight 57, GALAXY XI carried on Flight 125 in December 1999, GALAXY XR with Flight 126 in January 2000, and GALAXY IVR by Flight 129 in April 2000.

Two of the cities and regions involved in the Ariane program had a special mention on the Flight 160 launch vehicle — with special decals installed on the Ariane5’s upper portion. One of them is France’s Bordeaux region, which is the home to such Ariane industrial partners as EADS Launch Vehicles, Snecma and Groupe SNPE. The other is Colleferro in Italy, where FiatAvio is located.

The “naming” of Flight 160’s launcher is part of activities organized by the Community of Ariane Cities – an association created to promote the economic, cultural and educational development of cities and citizens who contribute to the Ariane program and European space activities.

This is the second Ariane 5 to be so named in the Community of Ariane Cities promotion program. The first was the Belgium city of Charleroi, which had the distinction on Arianespace Flight 153 performed last July.