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Pre-Launch Preparations Are Underway With Optus D3
Paris, France (SPX) Jul 24, 2009 The Optus D3 telecommunications satellite is undergoing its pre-launch checkout at Europe's Spaceport in preparation for an August liftoff on Arianespace's fourth heavy-lift Ariane 5 mission of 2009. Following its delivery to French Guiana on Tuesday, Optus D3 was transferred to the S5C hall in the Spaceport's S5 payload preparation facility. Optus D3 is the latest geostationary-orbit telecom satellite developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation for Optus Networks in Sydney, Australia. It will provide Ku-band communications for direct television broadcasting, Internet, telephony, and data transmission to Australia and New Zealand - expanding coverage at the same orbital slot as Orbital's earlier Optus C1 satellite, located at 156 deg. East Longitude. Based on Orbital's STAR bus, Optus D3 carries a total of 32 transponders and is among the most powerful geostationary orbit telecom satellites ever built by this U.S. satellite manufacturer. Optus D3 is to generate approximately five kilowatts of payload power, with a mission design lifetime of 15 years. Its mass at liftoff will be approximately 2,500 kg. Arianespace's upcoming Ariane 5 flight will carry a pair of U.S.-built spacecraft to be operated by two Asia-Pacific operators. In addition to Orbital's Optus D3 for Australia's Optus, the mission will loft JCSAT-12 - which was produced by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems for Japan's SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation. JCSAT-12 also is being processed in the Spaceport's S5 payload preparation center, having been delivered to the French Guiana launch site earlier this month. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Arianespace Launch Pad at Space-Travel.com
Arianespace To Launch HYLAS Telecommunications SatelliteEvry, France (SPX) Jul 23, 2009 Avanti Communications Group plc, has chosen Arianespace to launch the HYLAS telecommunications satellite. This new contract is the 11th signed by Arianespace with the major satellite operators. The launch of the HYLAS satellite is planned for the first semester of 2010, using an Ariane 5 or Soyuz launcher from the Guiana Space Center, Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. HYLAS is the ... read more |
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