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Another Ariane 5 Orbits Dual ComSats
Kourou, French Guiana (SPX) Oct 02, 2009 On Thursday evening, October 1, Arianespace boosted two payloads into geostationary transfer orbit: the Amazonas-2 civil communications satellite for the Spanish operator Hispasat, and the ComsatbW-1 military communications satellite, built by Astrium for the German Ministry of Defense. The launch was the 47th Ariane 5 mission and the 33rd successful launch campaign in a row.
Civil And Military Birds Ride Together ComsatbW-1 is the 32nd military payload lofted by Ariane. Astrium chose Arianespace to launch the two military communications satellites, ComsatbW-1 and ComsatbW-2, as part of a satellite communications system deployed by the German Ministry of Defense represented by IT-AmtBw. ComsatbW-2 will be launched in 2010. The mission was carried out by an Ariane 5 ECA launcher from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Liftoff was on Thursday, October 1, 2009 at 6:59 pm local time in Kourou (5:59 pm in Washington, D.C., 21:59 UT, 11:59 pm in Paris and on Friday, October 2, 1:59 am in Moscow). Amazonas-2 was built by Astrium using a Eurostar E3000 platform. Weighing 5,400 kg at liftoff, this powerful satellite is equipped with 54 active Ku-band transponders and 10 C-band transponders. It will provide a wide range of telecommunications services to Brazil, as well as to North and South America in general. Amazonas-2 has a design life of 15 years and will be positioned in geostationary orbit at 61 degrees West. ComsatbW-1, weighing 2,500 kg at launch and offering a design life of 15 years, will cover an area extending from the Americas to the Far East. DLR will assume responsibility for operating the two satellites using several of its locations. The Bundeswehr is acquiring its own military communications satellites for the first time and laying the foundations for a secure information network for use by units on deployed missions outside Germany. The network will support the autonomous, global transmission of audio and data as well as video and multimedia applications. Astrium is responsible for the space segment and will place the satellites in orbit. Thales Alenia Space has designed, manufactured, integrated, tested and delivered on-ground the satellite to Astrium. Astrium's German subsidiary TESAT manufactured the essential parts of the payload. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Arianespace Launch Pad at Space-Travel.com
Arianespace Maintains Record Launch RateParis, France (SPX) Oct 01, 2009 Arianespace is continuing its sustained launch pace - with the next mission ready for an October 1 liftoff, and payloads for the following flight now undergoing final checkout at the Spaceport. The October 1 liftoff will be Ariane 5's fifth mission of 2009, carrying the civilian Amazonas 2 satellite for Spain's HISPASAT, along with the German COMSATBw-1 military telecommunications platform ... read more |
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