Another Successful
Arianespace Launch: Protostar I And BADR-6 Are In Orbit
(7 July 2008) On Monday evening, July
7, Arianespace boosted two telecommunications satellites, providing direct TV
broadcast and Internet services, into orbit: ProtoStar I for American operator
ProtoStar Ltd. and BADR-6 for Middle-East operator Arabsat.
40th
Ariane 5 launch, 26th success in a row
The latest successful launch of
an Ariane 5, the fourth in 2008, confirms that Arianespace's launch Service
& Solutions continue to set the global standard for all major
telecommunications operators.
Ariane 5 is the only commercial launcher
in service today capable of simultaneously launching two
payloads.
Direct broadcast and Internet services
Arianespace
offers the best choice of launch solutions to meet the specific requirements of
both new and seasoned operators.
Launched for a new operator, ProtoStar
1 is a particularly innovative satellite. It will provide high-definition
direct-to-home TV transmissions and broadband Internet services to the entire
Southeast Asian region. ProtoStar 1 is the 33rd Space Systems/Loral satellite
to be launched by Arianespace.
BADR-6 is the sixth satellite to be
launched by Arianespace for the satcom operator Arabsat, based in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia. It will provide direct TV broadcasting services for the Middle East and
North Africa. A seventh Arabsat satellite is also slated for launch by
Arianespace.
ProtoStar I/BADR-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 Monday, July 7, at 6:47 pm local time in Kourou
(5:47 pm in Washington, D.C., 21:47 UT, 11:47 pm in Paris, and on Tuesday, July
8, at 12:47 am in Riyadh).
Provisional parameters at injection of the
cryogenic upper stage (ESC-A) were:
Perigee: 249.7 km for a target of
249.4 km (±4)
Apogee: 35,952 km for a target of 35,922 km
(±240)
Inclination: 2.00 degrees for a target of 2.00 degrees
(±0.06°)
ProtoStar 1 was built by Space Systems/Loral in Palo
Alto, California, using an FS1300 platform. Fitted with 16 Ku-band transponders
and 38 C-band transponders, ProtoStar 1 will be positioned at 98.5 degrees
East. It weighed 4,200 kg at launch. The coverage zone is primarily Southeast
Asia and the Indian sub-continent.
BADR-6 was built by Astrium using a
Eurostar 2000+ platform. Weighing 3,400 kg at launch, it is equipped with 24
C-band and 20 Ku-band transponders. BADR-6 will provide direct TV broadcasting
services from its orbital position at 26 degrees East. Along with other
satellites in the BADR constellation, BADR-6 will provide these services to
more than 130 million TV viewers over a vast zone stretching from Morocco to
the Persian Gulf, and covering a large part of sub-Saharan
Africa.
(source: Arianespace)
