Work has begun in earnest on the next Ariane 5 launch campaign, an August mission for Eutelsat and Intelsat satellites.
Ariane Flight VA225 has begun its integration process at the Spaceport in French Guiana. The launch of Eutelsat 8 West B and Intelsat 34 from the Arianespace facility will represent Aiane’s 225th mission since the European-built series of launch vehicles began operation in 1979.
In a well rehearsed procedure Ariane 5 will make its way to the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building, where the two payloads will be installed. The Final Assembly Building is currently occupied by another Ariane 5 that will be rolled out next week for Arianespace’s Flight VA224, which is to launch the Star One C4 telecommunications satellite for Brazil and Europe’s MSG-4 meteorological platform on July 8.
Eutelsat 8 West B will introduce a C-band mission to the 8 degrees West orbital slot, with 10 operational transponders connected to footprints covering the African continent and reaching west to South America.
Flight VA225’s other passenger, Intelsat 34, will be installed in the lower payload position on Ariane 5 and is to have a liftoff mass of more than 3 metric tons. It’s been designed to meet the media distribution requirements of leading programmers for Latin America. The satellite will also support advanced broadband service to maritime and aeronautical providers serving the North Atlantic.
