Two 'Sister' Payloads for Ariane 5's Next Mission Are Now at the Spaceport

(August 13, 2007) -- A pair of highly similar satellites to be launched on Arianespace's upcoming Ariane 5 mission have been delivered to the Spaceport in French Guiana and are now undergoing their initial checkout.

A charted Antonov An-124 cargo jetliner flew the Intelsat 11 and Optus D2 spacecraft into Cayenne's Rochambeau International Airport, providing an unusual double payload arrival.

Both satellites were manufactured by Orbital Sciences Corporation at its Dulles, Virginia facility, and they are based on the U.S. company's STAR(tm) spacecraft bus - which has become a popular choice among international telecommunications operators for small-sized geostationary relay platforms.

Optus D2 is to be operated by Australian-based Optus, enabling the development of new business opportunities for the direct-to-home market, new data services and services bundling. This is the second satellite in Optus' D-series fleet - the first of which was orbited by an Ariane 5 in October 2006.

With a liftoff mass of approximately 2,350 kg., the Optus D2 platform will generate 3.8 kilowatts of payload power to service its 24 active transponders. The satellite is to be positioned at 152 deg. E, and has a mission design lifetime of 15 years.

Intelsat 11 will weigh approximately 2,500 kg. at liftoff, and carries 34 transponders for direct-to-home broadcasting and data networking services to Latin America. This payload was booked on Ariane 5 in a contract announced last April, and is to be positioned at an orbital slot of 43 deg. West. Intelsat 11 has a 15-year mission design lifetime, and will carry a fuel load sufficient for 16 years of operation.

The Ariane 5 mission with Optus D2 and Intelsat 11 is scheduled for the end of September. This flight will use an Ariane 5 GS version, and will be the fourth of six planned launches of Arianespace's workhorse launch vehicle in 2007.

Source : Arianespace

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