Special delivery: payloads arrive for Arianespace’s fifth Soyuz mission carrying O3b satellites

The latest batch of O3b satellites for launch by Arianespace are unloaded from a chartered IL-76 cargo aircraft at French Guiana’s Félix Eboué Airport. They will be orbited by a medium-lift Soyuz on Flight VS22.

French Guiana has welcomed the four passengers for Arianespace’s second Soyuz mission in 2019, which will further expand the SES-owned O3b satellite constellation delivering low-latency, fiber-like connectivity to customers in more than 40 countries.

This spacecraft quartet – built by Thales Alenia Space – arrived this week aboard a chartered cargo jetliner that landed at Félix Eboué Airport near the capital city of Cayenne, enabling them to be transferred by road to the Spaceport’s preparation facilities.

The O3b fleet of medium-Earth orbit (MEO) satellites is a proven non-geostationary constellation that provides commercial broadband services today, delivering carrier-grade services. The first 16 spacecraft for O3b were successfully orbited by four Soyuz vehicles operating from the Guiana Space Center in 2013, 2014 and 2018. Each satellite weighs about 700 kg. at launch and provides more than 10 Gbps of capacity.

“From 16 to 20” with Arianespace Flight VS22

By increasing the size of the O3b constellation from 16 to 20 satellites, SES Networks will offer enhanced coverage while providing greater service availability and reliability – responding to increasing demand for bandwidth from governments, as well as the telecom, cloud, maritime and energy markets.

This upcoming Soyuz mission is designated Flight VS22 in Arianespace’s launcher family numbering system, signifying the medium-lift workhorse’s 22nd liftoff from the Spaceport since its 2011 introduction at French Guiana.

Quelle: arianespace

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Update: 4.04.2019

Arianespace’s latest Soyuz mission carrying O3b constellation satellites is approved for liftoff

Authorization has been granted for tomorrow’s Arianespace Soyuz launch from the Spaceport in French Guiana, providing the “green light” for this mission to orbit the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th satellites in SES’ O3b constellation.

Flight VS22 will mark Arianespace’s fifth Soyuz launch carrying O3b constellation satellites for SES.

Approval for liftoff was given at the conclusion of today’s launch readiness review, which verified the “go” status of Soyuz, its multi-passenger payload, the Spaceport’s infrastructure and the network of downrange tracking stations.

The April 4 mission – designated VS22 in Arianespace’s numbering system – will be performed from the Spaceport’s purpose-built ELS launch facility for Soyuz. Liftoff is scheduled at precisely 1:30:37 p.m. local time in French Guiana (16:30:37 UTC), with the four O3b spacecraft being deployed into a circular orbit during a flight sequence lasting 2 hours and 22 minutes.

Delivering fiber-equivalent connectivity since 2014, the O3b fleet of medium-Earth orbit (MEO) satellites is part of SES’s bold vision of connecting people and empowering them with opportunities. The first 16 O3b spacecraft were successfully orbited by four Soyuz vehicles operating from the Guiana Space Center in 2013, 2014 and 2018.

Liftoff for Flight VS22:

French Guiana	UTC	Washington, D.C.	Paris	Tokyo
1:30:37 p.m. on Apr. 4	16:30:37 on Apr. 4	12:30:37 p.m. on Apr. 4	6:30:37 p.m. on Apr. 4	1:30:37 a.m. on Apr. 5