A heavy-lift Ariane 5 rocket lifts off from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Image Credit: Arianespace
Europe’s Arianespace successfully orbited two communications satellites today: Hispasat 1E for the Spanish operator Hispasat, and Koreasat 6 for the KT Corporation.
This mission marks the sixth successful Ariane 5 launch this year.
The Ariane 5 rocket is the only commercial satellite launcher now on the market capable of simultaneously launching two payloads and handling a complete range of missions, from commercial launches into geostationary orbit to scientific satellites boosted into special orbits.
Counting this flight, Arianespace has now orbited 12 commercial geostationary communications satellites out of the total of 19 launched since the beginning of the year, giving it more than 60% of the market.
The Hispasat 1E/Koreasat 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 Wednesday, December 29, 2010 at 6:27 pm local time in Kourou (4:27 pm in Washington, DC).
An artist's concept of Hipasat 1E. Image Credit: Space Systems/Lora
Hispasat 1E was built by Space Systems/Loral using an LS 1300 platform, and weighed 5,320 kg at launch. Carrying 53 active Ku-band transponders, this powerful satellite will give Hispasat additional capacity, plus an expanded range of video and data transmission services, with European and pan-American coverage. The satellite’s design life is 15 years, and it will be positioned in geostationary orbit at 30 degrees West.
An artist's concept of Koreasat 6. Image Credit: Orbital Sciences
Koreasat 6 was built by Thales Alenia Space using a Star-2 platform from Orbital Sciences Corporation of the United States. Weighing nearly 2,850 kg at launch, it is equipped with 30 active Ku-band transponders. The satellite will take over the Koreasat 3 mission with enhanced capability and provide broadcasting and communications services across all of Korean peninsular from its orbital position at 116 degrees East. The satellite has a design life exceeding 15 years.
