In its fourth launch of the year Arianespace successfully launched Eutelsat 25B/Es’hail 1, together with India’s G-Sat 7.
The Es’hail 1 is the first geostationary telecommunications satellite launched for Qatar and is a joint program by the Qatari operator Es’hailSat and the European operator Eutelsat.
The mission was carried out by an Ariane 5 ECA launcher from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Liftoff was on Thursday, August 29, 2013 at 5:30 pm local time in Kourou.
This was the 215th Ariane launch, with Astrium as industrial prime contractor. The launch vehicle boosted 9,776.5 kg into geostationary transfer orbit, including 8,960 kg for the two satellites.
Eutelsat 25B/Es’hail 1 was designed and built by Space Systems/Loral in California and weighed 6,310 kg at liftoff. The Eutelsat 25B/Es’hail 1 satellite is a joint program of Es-hailSat and Eutelsat to operate a high-power satellite at 25.5 degrees East, an orbital position that has been used for many years. This new satellite will serve booming markets in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. It will replace EUTELSAT 25C to bolster the power and coverage provided from this orbital position. In addition to ensuring Ku-band service continuity for Eutelsat and providing Ku-band capacity for Es’hailSat, the satellite will offer the two partners their initial Ka-band capacity, paving the way for new business development opportunities.
On course for geostationary orbit, Eutelsat 25B/Es’hail 1’s solar panels were deployed within four hours of separation from the launch vehicle and preparations are underway for the first of four firings of its apogee motor to complete its journey into orbit. Eutelsat and Es’hailSat schedule to bring their jointly owned satellite into service at 25.5° East at the end of October.
Based on the SSL 1300 platform of Space Systems/Loral, Eutelsat 25B/Es’hail 1 is designed to serve broadcasters, businesses and public agencies in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia via capacity in the Ku and Ka-bands. It will replace the EUTELSAT 25C satellite at the key 25.5° East position to provide both superior geographic coverage and increased capacity to address dynamically expanding digital markets. Following Eutelsat 25B/Es’hail 1’s entry into service Eutelsat will redeploy its Eutelsat 25C to another location where it will pursue commercial service.
Commenting from Kourou in French Guiana, Michel de Rosen, Eutelsat CEO, said: “Tonight’s launch is a milestone marking a three-year journey since Eutelsat sealed a strategic alliance with Es’hailSat, our Qatari partner, to pursue a ground-breaking joint satellite programme. We are now entering a new phase with the beginning of shared operations of a sophisticated and flexible communications satellite designed to deliver over 15 years of service to our two companies. Our thanks go to Arianespace, with whom Eutelsat has built a solid relationship over 30 years, for executing a flawless launch. We look forward to serving customers with the first-class resources this new satellite will provide and to further anchoring our commitment to markets in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia.”
Ali Ahmed Al-Kuwari, CEO of Es’hailSat, said: “We are immensely proud to have witnessed here in Kourou the birth of a new star over Qatar with the successful launch of our Es’hail 1 satellite. The Es’hailSat programme plays an important strategic role as Qatar works to meet the rapidly growing communications needs in the region. With the arrival of Es’hail 1, we have completed the first step in our mission to become a centre of excellence in the region and develop a sustainable national satellite industry. Qatar’s first satellite will provide our strategic stakeholders and commercial customers with broadcasting independence, quality service and wide geographical coverage. We congratulate Arianespace on delivering a picture-perfect lift-off and look forward to working with Eutelsat’s operations team to bring Es’hail 1 into service.”
The GSAT-7, designed, developed and integrated by ISRO in Bangalore, India is dedicated to telecommunications services for the Indian government. It weighed 2,650 kg at launch and offers a design life exceeding seven years. GSAT-7 carries Ku, C, S and UHF band transponders. Positioned at 74 degrees East, its coverage zone encompasses the entire Indian subcontinent.
“The 57th successful launch in a row of Ariane 5, the 80th for our family of the Ariane 5, Soyuz and Vega launchers, once again confirms the unrivaled reliability of our launch systems,” said Arianespace chairman and CEO Stéphane Israël in a statement.
“I realise that this is a particularly important moment for Es’hailSat, and for its CEO, Ali Ahmed al-Kuwari. Eutelsat and ISRO are both long-standing partners to Arianespace, reaching back over 30 years, and they continue to entrust us with their satellites year after year, within the scope of partnerships that truly honor us. I would like to express my sincere thanks to both of these companies; this latest successful launch shows that they made the right choice by selecting Arianespace!”