Arianespace has successfully launched Mexico’s SatMex-5 geo stationary communications and broadcasting satellite from Kourou, French Guiana. The Ariane 4 was launched Saturday evening at 9.43pm local time (7.43pm EST).
Following the 41st successful Ariane 4 launch in a row, Arianespace
Secretary General Francoise Bouzitat said, “We would like to thank both Mexico and SatMex: they made the right choice in flying with Arianespace! After the launch of Solidaridad 1 and 2, we are very proud of our role in developing the Mexican telecommunications system, and of placing a new operator, SatMex, into orbit.
Launch after launch, we are consolidating Arianespace’s “first class” service, which means fast, flexible and reliable access to orbit for our customers, as soon as they are ready.
We would also like to thank all the teams in both Europe and French
Guiana. Once again they have amply demonstrated their professionalism and overall excellence by carrying out a series of six launches in just three and a half months.”
Flight 114 was carried out by an Ariane 42L, the version of the European
launcher with two liquid-propellant strap-on boosters. It used the 83rd out of 116 Ariane 4 launchers ordered to date from the European space industry.
To meet evolving customer requirements, geostationary transfer orbit
injection on this flight was optimized by exploiting Ariane 4’s third stage performance reserve. Provisional parameters at third stage injection into geostationary transfer orbit were:
- Apogee: 21,607 km versus the minimum requirement of 19,459 km
- Perigee: 200.1 km for a target of 200 km (+/- 7 km)
- Inclination: 6.99 degrees for a target of 7.00 degrees (+/- 0.06 degrees)
SatMex 5, Mexico’s fifth telecommunications satellite, will take over for
Morelos II from its position at 116.8 degrees West. Built by Hughes Space & Communications at El Segundo, California, SatMex 5 weighed 4,144 kg (9,117 lb) at liftoff, and is equipped with 24 Ku-band and 24 C-band transponders. Offering ten times the power of its predecessor, SatMex 5 will provide a complete range of telecommunications services, direct TV broadcasting, rural telephony, distance learning and telemedicine services to an area ranging from Canada to Tierra del Fuego.
The next launch, Arianespace Flight 115, is scheduled for December 21. An Ariane 42L will place into orbit the PAS 6B satellite for PanAmSat Corporation (USA). Following Flight 114, Arianespace’s order book now stands at 40 satellites to be launched.
Ariane Reports At SpaceDaily
