EUTELSAT 8 West B also will introduce a C-band mission to the 8 deg. West orbital slot, with 10 operational transponders connected to footprints covering the African continent and reaching west to South America.

Eutelsat Communications – which will operate EUTELSAT 8 West B after its launch by Arianespace – calls the 7/8 deg. West “video neighborhood” one of the most dynamic in the global satellite TV market, with a rapidly growing audience and channel line-up. An estimated 52 million homes in North Africa and the Middle East already are equipped for DTH reception of more than 1,200 Arabic and international channels broadcast at this position by Eutelsat and Nilesat.

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.  Specially designed to meet the media distribution requirements of leading programmers for Latin America, this satellite also will support advanced broadband service to maritime and aeronautical providers serving the North Atlantic.  

A 15-year in-orbit service life for Intelsat 34

Intelsat 34 was built by SSL (Space Systems/Loral) of Palo Alto, California and is designed to deliver service for 15 years or longer.  It will bring replacement relay capacity for two other satellites at 304.5 degrees East longitude.

The Ariane 5 mission with Intelsat 34 and EUTELSAT 8 West B is to be the seventh Arianespace flight of 2015 with the company’s launcher family, composed of the heavy-lift Ariane 5, medium-lift Soyuz and light-lift Vega. 

In addition to Arianespace’s upcoming Flight VA224 mission with Ariane 5 on July 8, the company’s five missions performed so far in 2015 are: Vega Flight VV05 on June 22 with Sentinel-2A; Flight VA223 with Ariane 5 on May 27, orbiting DirecTV-15 and SKY México-1; Ariane 5’s Flight VA222 on April 26, carrying THOR 7 and SICRAL 2; Soyuz Flight VS11 on March 27, which orbited two Galileo Full Operational Capability satellites; and Vega Flight VV04 on February 11, performing a suborbital mission with the Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) spaceplane.

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The EUTELSAT 8 West B satellite arrives in French Guiana for Arianespace's seventh launch of 2015

Payload preparations for Arianespace’s next Ariane 5 launch are now in full swing, with the mission’s two satellite passengers – EUTELSAT 8 West B and Intelsat 34 – undergoing checkout procedures at the Spaceport.

These pre-launch activities kicked off this month, following separate arrivals of the two spacecraft – both of which were delivered to French Guiana’s Félix Eboué Airport via cargo jetliner. After their subsequent transfers by road to the Spaceport, preparations for EUTELSAT 8 West B and Intelsat 34 commenced inside the facility’s S5C building.

Designated Flight VA225, this upcoming mission will mark the seventh liftoff in 2015 by a member of Arianespace’s launch vehicle family – which consists of the heavy-lift Ariane 5, medium-size Soyuz and lightweight Vega – as well as the fourth liftoff this year using a workhorse Ariane 5.

EUTELSAT 8 West B – which will be operated by Eutelsat and the Egyptian satellite company Nilesat – will occupy the upper passenger position in Ariane 5’s dual-payload configuration. Produced by Thales Alenia Space, it is designed to bring powerful new satellite broadcasting resources for the Middle East and North Africa, primarily serving direct-to-home (DTH) markets.

Flight VA225’s other passenger, Intelsat 34, will be installed in the lower payload position on Ariane 5. It was built by SSL (Space Systems Loral) for operator Intelsat to meet the media distribution requirements of leading programmers for Latin America. In addition, the spacecraft will support advanced broadband service to maritime and aeronautical providers serving the North Atlantic.

Quelle: arianespace

During activity in the Spaceport’s S5B preparation hall, the EUTELSAT8 West B spacecraft for Eutelsat Communications is being fueled for Arianespace’s next Ariane 5 launch, which is planned to lift off August 20 from the Spaceport.

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Eutelsat Communications’ EUTELSAT 8 West B telecommunications satellite is being “topped off” this week at the Spaceport, in preparation for its August 20 launch from French Guiana on Ariane 5 Flight VA225.

Fueling activity for the EUTELSAT 8 West B spacecraft is occurring in the S5B preparation hall at Arianespace’s South American operations base, readying the satellite for its subsequent integration in the upper position of the Ariane 5 heavy-lift workhorse’s dual-payload configuration.

Built by Thales Alenia Space, EUTELSAT 8 West B is a 5.8-metric-ton-class relay platform that features 40 operational Ku-band transponders to bring powerful new satellite broadcasting resources to the Middle East and North Africa – primarily to serve direct-to-home markets. It will also introduce a C-band mission to the 8 deg. West orbital slot, with 10 operational transponders connecting to footprints covering the African continent and reaching to South America.

Joining EUTELSAT 8 West B as the lower passenger on next month’s Ariane 5 mission is the Intelsat 34 satellite for operator Intelsat. The SSL (Space System Loral)-produced three-metric-ton spacecraft – which also is undergoing preparation in French Guiana – will help meet the media distribution requirements of leading programmers for Latin America, as well as supporting advanced broadband service to maritime and aeronautical providers serving the North Atlantic.

EUTELSAT 8 West B’s fueling for Flight VA225 is part of the busy pace of operations across the Spaceport in support of Arianespace’s 2015 mission cadence. In parallel, payload and launcher preparation activity is underway for three other missions: Soyuz Flight VS12 on September 10; another Ariane 5 launch (Flight VA226) in September, and Vega Flight VV06, which is planned for November.

Quelle: arianespace

The second passenger for Arianespace’s next Ariane 5 flight has been fueled at the Spaceport, completing another major step for the August 20 launch from French Guiana.

This was the final stand-alone operation with the Intelsat 34 satellite before its integration on the launcher, and it occurred in the Spaceport’s S5 payload preparation facility – conducted by personnel from spacecraft manufacturer SSL (Space Systems Loral), who were outfitted in specialized protection suits.

The careful process ensured that sufficient propellant was loaded for Intelsat 34’s mission lifetime of more than 15 years, while maintaining the satellite’s targeted mass of 3,300 kg. at liftoff in the lower position of Ariane 5’s dual-passenger payload arrangement.

Intelsat 34 will be utilized by satellite services provider Intelsat to meet the media distribution requirements of leading programmers for Latin America. In addition, the spacecraft will support advanced broadband coverage for maritime and aeronautical providers serving the North Atlantic.

For the August 20 mission on Ariane 5 – designated Flight VA225 in Arianespace’s launcher family numbering system – Intelsat 34 is to be delivered to geostationary transfer orbit along with the 5,800-kg.-class EUTELSAT 8 West B broadcast relay platform, which will be operated by Eutelsat and the Egyptian satellite company Nilesat.  EUTELSAT 8 West B was fueled in separate activity at the Spaceport late last month.

Flight VA225 will continue Arianespace’s sustained operational pace.  In addition to being the company’s fourth launch in 2015 with the Ariane 5 heavy-lift workhorse, Arianespace has performed two light-lift Vega missions this year, along with one utilizing its medium-weight Soyuz vehicle.

Quelle: arianespace