GPS News  
LAUNCH PAD
Pre-Launch Processing Underway For Ariane 5's Upcoming Launch

File image.
by Staff Writers
Kourou, French Guiana (SPX) Jul 09, 2010
The Nilesat-201 and RASCOM-QAF1R satellite passengers for Arianespace's third heavy-lift Ariane 5 ECA launch of 2010 have begun final checkout in preparation for their planned August 3 liftoff from the Spaceport in French Guiana.

These spacecraft have completed the fit-check milestones, which validate the compatibility with the adapters that serve as their interface within the Ariane 5's dual-payload "stack."

The two satellites were produced by Thales Alenia Space, and the fit-check activity was performed with both spacecraft inside the S5B integration hall of the Spaceport's large S5 payload preparation facility.

RASCOM-QAF1R is based on the Spacebus 4000B3 platform and carries 24 equivalent 36-MHz transponders in both Ku-band and C-band. It will provide Africa with access to advanced communications and information technologies - in particular rural telephony - from an orbital slot of 2.9 degrees East longitude.

To be operated by RascomStar-QAF, the spacecraft will offer coverage for the African continent, along with parts of Europe and the Middle East.

Nilesat-201 was built with a Spacebus 4000B2 platform, and is equipped with 24 Ku-band and 4 Ka-band transponders. Egyptian satellite operator Nilesat will utilize this relay platform to deliver digital Direct-to-Home (DTH) TV and radio broadcasting, along with high-speed data transmission services, to North Africa and the Middle East. Nilesat-201 is to be located at an orbital position of 7 degrees West longitude.



Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
Arianespace
Launch Pad at Space-Travel.com



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


LAUNCH PAD
Arianespace To Launch Argentine Satellite Arsat-1
Paris, France (SPX) Jun 29, 2010
Arianespace has announced that it has signed the launch Service and Solutions contract with Argentine operator ARSAT (Empresa Argentina de Soluciones Satelitales Sociedad Anonima) to orbit the Arsat-1 satellite by mid-2012. Weighing about 2,900 kg at launch, Arsat-1 will be placed into geostationary transfer orbit by an Ariane 5 or Soyuz launcher from the Guiana Space Center, Europe's Spac ... read more







LAUNCH PAD
Agricultural Bank of China expected to announce record IPO

Climate change affects meadows' ecosystems

China's AgBank raises 10 billion dollars in Shanghai IPO

AgBank prices Hong Kong IPO lower than expected

LAUNCH PAD
India's poor scrape a dangerous living in new 'e-waste' jobs

Lawrence Livermore Teams With Fusion-io To Re-define Performance Densi

Toshiba announces 128 GB chip for smart phones, tablet PCs

Walls Falling Faster For Solid-State Memory

LAUNCH PAD
Solar Impulse plane packed with technology

Piccard dynasty roam unknowns in sky, sea, sun

Brazil's Embraer expands into China

Australia upgrades older F/A-18 Hornets

LAUNCH PAD
Peugeot Citroen posts record sales, looks to China, India

Kongsberg signs deal with Renault

EU clears Volvo takeover by China's Geely

GM auto sales in China slow in June

LAUNCH PAD
Advertising surges in Asia-Pacific: research firm

Australian court to probe 'vexatious' BlueScope case

China defends jailing of US geologist

Australia's CSR sells sugar arm for 1.47 billion US dollars

LAUNCH PAD
Europe wields axe against illegal timber

Paper's toll on Indonesia's rainforests

Greenpeace names and shames companies over Indonesia paper

Soil-Borne Pathogens Drive Tree Diversity In Forests

LAUNCH PAD
NASA To Fly Into Hurricane Research This Summer

NASA's GRIP To Take Unprecedented Look Inside Hurricanes

TerraSAR-X Image Of The Month: The Nazca Lines In Peru

Predicting Dust Storms With Infrared Satellites

LAUNCH PAD
China cuts coal, emissions still growing

New Zealand launches emissions trading scheme

Downturn causes sharp drop in British emissions: study

'Carbon storage' faces leak dilemma - study


The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement