Following its rollout from the Spaceport's Launcher Integration Building in French Guiana - where the vehicle's basic build-up was performed by prime contractor EADS Astrium Space Transportation - the Ariane 5 ECA was transferred to the Final Assembly Building, where its dual payload will be installed under Arianespace responsibility.

The mission is scheduled for liftoff late this month, carrying SES WORLD SKIES' NSS-12 spacecraft and THOR 6 for Telenor Satellite Broadcasting.

NSS-12 was manufactured by Space Systems/Loral based on the company's 1300 spacecraft platform and is designed to reach an estimated two-thirds of the world's population. As a replacement for NSS-703 at 57 deg. East, NSS-12 is to serve virtually the entire Eastern Hemisphere with its 40 C-band transponders and 48 Ku-band transponders, providing direct-to-home TV delivery power levels, as well as elaborate beam interconnectivity and C-/Ku-band cross-strapping.

Its direct-to-home coverage will be handled through four regional Ku-band spot beams covering the Middle East and Europe, Central and South Asia and - for the first time - East Africa.

NSS-12's high-capacity, high-power C-band hemispheric beams are configured for Europe, Africa (including Mauritius) and the Middle East, as well as an area stretching across Asia to Australia. They will be augmented by a powerful C-band global beam that reaches from the United Kingdom to the Far East.

The second payload for Arianespace's next Ariane 5 mission is THOR 6, which is to deliver high-power direct-to-home television services from the 1 deg. West orbital position. This relay platform will strengthen Telenor Satellite Broadcasting's television broadcast coverage over Central and Eastern Europe, while also providing additional capacity in the Nordic region.

THOR 6 is fitted 36 Ku-band transponders - 16 of which will serve the Nordic countries, while the 20 other transponders will provide capacity for the growing broadcasting demands within Central and Eastern Europe. It is based on Thales Alenia Space's Spacebus 4000B2 spacecraft design.

The upcoming mission with THOR 6 and NSS-12 maintains Arianespace's sustained launch pace in 2009, during which the company plans a record seven Ariane 5 flights. It follows the launcher's most recent success: the October 1 flight that orbited the Amazonas 2 civilian relay platform for Spain's HISPASAT and the German COMSATBw-1 secure military communications satellite.

related report
Arianespace At IAC 2009
Arianespace is participating in the 60th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) from October 12 to 16 in Daejeon, South Korea, reaffirming its role as the benchmark launch service provider in Asia.

Created in 1980 as the world's first launch service and solutions company, Arianespace is one of the main sponsors of this international gathering, which brings together more than 2,000 participants from 45 countries. Through this participation Arianespace continues to confirm its world leadership in this sector and its ongoing success in South Korea.

The Arianespace order book includes two satellites to be launched for South Korea, COMS-1 and Koreasat 6. They will be launched into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) during 2010 from the Guiana Space Center, Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.

Arianespace's collaboration with South Korea began with the launch of the scientific micro-satellites Kitsat A and Kitsat B for the Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), then continued with the launch of the Koreasat communications satellite for operator Korea Telecom.

COMS-1 to be launched for the Korea Aerospace Research Institute
The Communication, Ocean and Meteorological Satellite-1 (COMS-1) is a multimission spacecraft, carrying out meteorological observation and ocean surveillance. Because of its orbital position, it will also be fitted with an experimental payload for broadband, multimedia communications services.

Koreasat 6 to be launched for Korea Telecom Corporation
Koreasat 6 is the second satellite to be launched by Arianespace for the Korean operator Korea Telecom Corporation (KT Corporation), following Koreasat 3, orbited in September 1999. The satellite will provide communications and broadcast services throughout the country from its orbital position at 116 degrees East.

Speaking at this year's International Astronautical Congress, Arianespace Chairman and CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall said: "We are both proud and honored to be able to serve KARI and the Korea Telecom Corporation. The selection of Arianespace by these two prestigious South Korean customers is clear recognition of the quality and excellence of our launch Service and Solutions."

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