Fueling is underway at the Spaceport with Eutelsat 25B/Es’hail 1 scheduled to lift off from French Guiana late this month.
The satellite is being “topped off” in the S5A fueling and integration hall of the Spaceport’s S5 payload preparation center, marking another step in this spacecraft’s pre-launch processing.
Eutelsat 25B/Es’hail 1 was built by Space Systems/Loral (SSL) for two users: European telecommunications operator Eutelsat Communications and Qatar’s Es’hailSat Satellite Company; with the high-power, multi-mission relay platform to provide flexible coverage over the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia.
The satellite is designed to deliver television broadcasting, telecommunications and government services with its Ku-band payload, while Ka-band relay capability is included to open business opportunities for both Eutelsat and Es’hailSat.
Based on Space Systems/Loral’s SSL 1300 spacecraft platform, Eutelsat 25B/Es’hail 1 is equipped with four steerable spot beam antennas and four deployable reflectors, along with advanced command and telemetry
capabilities. After deployment by Ariane 5, the satellite will be positioned at 25.5 degrees East longitude, with a designed operating lifetime of 15 years or more.
For Arianespace’s August 29 launch, Eutelsat 25B/Es’hail 1 is to be installed in the upper position of Ariane 5’s payload “stack,” with the flight’s co-passenger – India’s GSAT-7 communications satellite from the Indian Space Research Organisation – riding below it.
The lift performance on this fourth heavy-lift Arianespace mission in 2013 will be more than 8,550 kg., which includes the 6,000-kg.-plus liftoff mass of EUTELSAT 25B/Es’hail 1 and GSAT-7’s estimated mass of 2,550 kg.
