Keep the shuttle flying: Fwd: Ariane 5 Launch

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From: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Date: August 21, 2015 at 10:33:00 PM CDT
To: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Subject: FW: Ariane 5 Launch

Eutelsat, Intelsat spacecraft deployed by Ariane 5
August 21, 2015 by Stephen Clark
The Ariane 5 rocket lifted off at 2034 GMT (4:34 p.m. EDT) after a brief hold in the countdown. Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace – Optique Video du CSG – P. Piron
A hefty European-built satellite destined to broadcast high-definition television to the Middle East and a U.S.-made relay station programmed to serve Latin America and North Atlantic air routes soared into space Thursday aboard an Ariane 5 rocket.
Owned by Eutelsat and Intelsat, the spacecraft rocketed into orbit cocooned inside the nose shroud of an Ariane 5 booster launched at 2034 GMT (4:34 p.m. EDT) Thursday from the European-run space center in French Guiana.
The launch was held on the ground 24 minutes to resolve a problem from earlier in the countdown that delayed the start of fueling.
Under the guidance of a computer-controlled countdown sequencer, the Ariane 5 lit its liquid-burning Vulcain 2 main engine and a pair of slender solid rocket boosters to fire away from the tropical spaceport on the northern shore of South America.
Quickly turning east over the Atlantic Ocean, the Ariane 5 surpassed the speed of sound in 48 seconds propelled by 2.9 million pounds of thrust from its high-energy propulsion system.
The twin solid rocket boosters consumed their fuel and released about two minutes after liftoff, followed shortly by the jettison of the payload fairing covering the Eutelsat and Intelsat satellites.
The rocket's main stage drained 380,000 pounds — about 173 metric tons — of super-chilled liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen in about nine minutes, then gave way to an upper stage engine to finish the task of placing the two satellite passengers into the correct orbit.
The second stage's cryogenic engine switched off about 25 minutes into the mission, then the rocket's fine pointing thrusters oriented the stage to release the Eutelsat 8 West B satellite, a high-definition TV satellite, and then Intelsat 34, a multi-purpose craft to replace two aging platforms in Intelsat's fleet.
The orbital injection was spot-on, according to Arianespace, the French operator of the Ariane 5 rocket.
"Arianespace is happy to celebrate tonight the Ariane 5's 67th success in a row with the first two commercial customers of our heavy-lift vehicle — Eutelsat and Intelsat," said Stephane Israel, Arianespace's chairman and chief executive.
The Ariane 5 was targeting a geostationary transfer orbit with a high point of 22,273 miles, a low point of 156 miles and an inclination of 4.7 degrees to the equator.
The Eutelsat 8 West B satellite, pictured here during prelaunch testing, will broadcast television to the Middle East and North Africa. Credit: Thales Alenia Space
The Eutelsat 8 West B satellite, based on Thales Alenia Space's Spacebus 4000 C4 platform, will reach a circular 22,300-mile-high geostationary orbit within six days, aiming to begin operational service for Eutelsat by the beginning of October.
"It's a huge relief," said Michel Azibert, Eutelsat's deputy CEO and chief commercial and development officer. "Of course, we know Arianespace has a reputation for being extremely reliable, but it's always a tense moment for us."
The spacecraft weighed 12,747 pounds — nearly 5.8 metric tons — at liftoff and is designed for a 15-year service life.
"It's a satellite which is next to 6 tons," Azibert said in remarks after the launch. "It carries both Ku-band television services and C-band telecommunications services. The Ku-band services are for the Middle East and North Africa region."
Eutelsat 8 West B is named for its final operating post along the equator at 8 degrees west longitude, where the satellite's 40 Ku-band transponders will beam direct-to-home high-definition and Ultra HD television to millions of homes in the Middle East and North Africa.
Ten C-band transponders will serve telecommunications customers in Africa and South America, according to Paris-based Eutelsat.
"The launch of Eutelsat 8 West B opens a new chapter in the growth story of the leading neighborhood in the Middle East and North Africa occupied by Eutelsat and Nilesat satellites," Azibert said in a written statement. "Through steady investment in high-performance satellites and the fastest growing audience in the region we have gained the trust of market-leading media groups and service providers who look to 7/8 degrees west to accelerate their growth."
The new satellite replaces coverage offered by Eutelsat 8 West A — launched on Ariane 4 in 2001 — and Eutelsat 8 West C — launched on the first Atlas 5 flight in 2002. The aging craft will be re-deployed to other missions.
"Eutelsat 8 West B equips us to meet demand to broadcast more digital and high-definition content to over 250 million viewers and gives us more coverage options, enabling broadcasters to target their audience," Azibert said. "These features underpin the 100 percent success in sales of capacity connected to footprints serving a vast region stretching from Morocco to the Gulf."
Artist's concept of the Intelsat 34 satellite in orbit. Credit: Intelsat/Space Systems/Loral
The Intelsat 34 satellite, which rode in the lower berth of the Ariane 5 launcher, will also reach its operational position in geostationary orbit six days after liftoff.
"Intelsat 34 is the 55th satellite launched by Arianespace for Intelsat," Israel said. "Our cooperation with Intelsat started more than 30 years ago, as well as for Eutelsat, with the launch of Intelsat 507 in October 1983 on Ariane 1."
Built on Space Systems/Loral's 1300-series satellite platform, Intelsat 34 is heading for 55.5 degrees west, where it will broadcast television to homes in Brazil, distribute video programming for companies like HBO and Fox across Latin America, and beam broadband services to travelers aboard airplanes and ships crossing the North Atlantic Ocean.
"It's a great day, a beautiful launch," said Thierry Guillemin, chief technical officer for Intelsat, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C. "Even after being in this business for 30 years, it still gives you a thrill to watch a launch, and of course, even more when it's your satellite."
Intelsat 34 is the 50th Loral-built satellite launched for Intelsat.
"Fifty is a very fitting number," Guillemin said. "Fifty years ago is when the first Intelsat spacecraft was launched. It was called Early Bird, and this satellite, four years later, broadcast the first steps of Neil Armstrong the moon."
With a launch mass of 7,275 pounds — about 3.3 metric tons — Intelsat 34 is a replacement for the Intelsat 27 spacecraft lost aboard a Sea Launch mission in 2013. It will take the place of Intelsat's Galaxy 11 and Intelsat 805 spacecraft in orbit, the company's last two relay stations launched before 2000.
"In a few weeks, Intelsat 34 will start distributing video and media comment to millions over Latin America, as well as Internet access and TV programs over the Atlantic for those who are lucky enough to travel often between, for instance, the U.S. and Europe," Guillemin said.
"Our team in Washington will now raise the orbit of the spacecraft within a few days to geostationary altitude, and then test the satellite," Guillemin said. "By the first of October, we should be ready to start commercial service."
Thursday's launch marked the fourth of six Ariane 5 missions planned by Arianespace this year, and the seventh of 12 flights scheduled across the French operator's fleet.
Next is a Soyuz rocket launch set for Sept. 10 with the next two satellites for Europe's Galileo navigation network, followed Sept. 30 by the next Ariane 5 flight with communications satellites for Argentina and Australia.
Before the end of the year, Arianespace plans another Ariane 5 launch in early November with another dual-payload for Saudi Arabia's telecom operator Arabsat and the Indian Space Research Organization.
The lightweight solid-fueled Vega launcher has a mission planned for no earlier than Nov. 27 with the European Space Agency's LISA Pathfinder gravity wave science probe, and another Soyuz launch is targeted for December with the next pair of Galileo positioning platforms.

© 2015 Spaceflight Now Inc.

Photos: Ariane 5 ready to fly
August 20, 2015 by Stephen Clark
Check out photos of Europe's Ariane 5 launcher in the starting blocks at its tropical spaceport awaiting liftoff with two commercial television relay stations.
The launch from French Guiana is set for Thursday at 2010 GMT (4:10 p.m. EDT) carrying satellites into orbit for Eutelsat and Intelsat. It will be the 81st flight of an Ariane 5 rocket dating back to 1996.
Photo credit: Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace – Optique Video du CSG – P. Piron
Photo credit: Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace – Optique Video du CSG – P. Piron
Photo credit: Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace – Optique Video du CSG – P. Piron
Photo credit: Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace – Optique Video du CSG – P. Piron
Photo credit: Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace – Optique Video du CSG – P. Piron
Photo credit: Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace – Optique Video du CSG – P. Piron

© 2015 Spaceflight Now Inc.

Ariane 5 Delivers Eutelsat, Intelsat Satellites to Orbit
by Peter B. de Selding — August 20, 2015
Ariane 5 lifts off Aug. 20 carrying the Eutelsat 8 West B and Intelsat 34 telecommunications satellites. Credit: Arianespace via YouTube
TYBEE ISLAND, Georgia — Europe's Ariane 5 heavy-lift rocket on Aug. 20 launched two commercial telecommunications satellites in the vehicle's 67th consecutive success and the fourth of six missions planned for 2015.
The launch, from Europe's Guiana Space Center on the northeast coast of South America, placed the Eutelsat 8 West B and Intelsat 34 satellites into the intended transfer orbit.
Both satellites were reported to be in good health by their owners.
The launch came amid a lack of stability in the global commercial launch market. The Ariane 5 rocket's principal competitor in the past two years, the Falcon 9 rocket operated by SpaceX of Hawthorne, California, is recovering from a June 28 failure – the vehicle's first total loss – and its return-to-flight schedule is not yet clear.
Russia's Proton rocket, the third principal commercial provider, is recovering from a May failure and is scheduled to return to service Aug. 28.
Riding in the Ariane 5 rocket's upper position as the heavier of the two satellites, Eutelsat 8 West B weighed 5,782 kilograms at launch. Built by Thales Alenia Space of France and Italy, the satellite will operate from Eutelsat's slot at 7/8 degrees west in geostationary orbit, a position that Eutelsat uses with partner Nilesat of Egypt. The satellite's 40 Ku- and 10 C-band transponders will provide television programming over the Middle East and North Africa for Paris-based Eutelsat.
The satellite's payload includes an interference-mitigation system, an increasingly common feature for satellites over the Middle East and North Africa, where politically motivated signal jamming has been an issue in recent years.
The interference-mitigation capability was developed in research programs at the European Space Agency and the French space agency, CNES. It will enable Eutelsat to exert firmer control over the satellite's uplink frequencies from the ground.
"This function involves embarking new-generation frequency converters behind the satellite's receive antennas," Eutelsat said in a statement. "This will put Eutelsat in the unique position to be able to change the frequency of an uplink signal without any impact on the downlink frequency received by user terminals, marking a major breakthrough in the bid for continuity of service for broadcast signals jammed by rogue uplink signals."
In a video recorded before the launch, Thales Alenia Space Chief Executive Jean-Loic Galle said his company delivered the Eutelsat 8 West B more than one month ahead of schedule.
Intelsat 34, occupying the Ariane 5 lower berth, weighed 3,300 kilograms at launch. It was built by Space Systems/Loral of Palo Alto, California, which is owned by MDA Corp. of Canada, and carries 18 Ku-band and 22 C-band transponders. Luxembourg- and McLean, Virginia-based Intelsat will operate the satellite from 304.5 degrees east.
The satellite's C-band will be used to provide television programming in Latin America, especially Brazil, with its Ku-band capacity to provide aeronautical and maritime mobile communications with beams over the North Atlantic air and sea routes. It will replace Intelsat's Galaxy 11 and Intelsat 805 satellites.
Intelsat and Eutelsat are, respectively, the second- and third-largest commercial satellite fleet operators, when measured by revenue. They are the two largest commercial customers for the Evry, France-based Arianespace launch consortium. The Aug. 20 launch is the 55th Intelsat satellite launched by Arianespace and the 30th Eutelsat satellite.
Arianespace Chief Executive Stephane Israel said after the launch that four more Intelsat satellites and three more Eutelsats are booked for future Ariane 5 launches.
With six launches now conducted in 2015 – four Ariane 5s, one Europeanized Soyuz medium-lift rocket and two Vega light-lift vehicles – Arianespace hopes to conduct six more missions by the end of the year. That would beat the 2014 record of 11 launches.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kmdw4efePM

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