Atlantic Bird 2 is the 15th satellite launched by Arianespace for Eutelsat — one of the world’s leading providers of communications solutions. Flight 144 was a key element in Eutelsat’s international expansion strategy, and the flight underscores this operator’s confidence in Arianespace.
The Arianespace collaboration with Eutelsat dates back to 1983. Nearly 70 percent of all Eutelsat satellites now in operation were orbited by Ariane launchers.
Two more Eutelsat satellites currently are booked for future launches by Arianespace.
Following Flight 144, Arianespace now has a backlog of 50 payloads to be launched: 41 satellites and nine ATV missions for the International Space Station.
Flight 144 was carried out by an Ariane 44P, the launcher version of the Ariane 4 family equipped with four solid-propellant strap-on boosters. And was the 64th successful Ariane 4 launch in a row.
Liftoff from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana was on September 25, 2001 at 8:21 p.m. local time (23:21 GMT; 7:21 p.m. in Washington, D.C., and on September 26 at 01:21 a.m. in Paris).
Provisional parameters at third stage injection were:
Built by Alcatel Space in Cannes, southern France, the Atlantic Bird 2 satellite will be positioned at 8 degrees West. It will provide a wide range of high-speed communications services between North America, South America, Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
The next Arianespace launch is scheduled for November 27. An Ariane 44LP will orbit DirecTV-4S, a spacecraft built by Boeing Satellite Systems for the U.S. direct broadcast company, DirecTV.
The action plan designed to return Ariane 5 to service is also moving ahead. All recommendations issued by the inquiry board are being applied methodically and rigorously. Planned modifications are now underway on the ground-based test stand used to validate flight conditions during static firings of the Ariane 5 upper stage engine. As a result, the resumption of Ariane 5 flights is expected in January 2002.
