Ariane 5
delivers for two special Arianespace partners:
the space agencies of India and South Korea
Arianespace’s 10th mission
of 2018 orbited satellite payloads today for the
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and
the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI),
using the workhorse Ariane 5 on a launch
performed from the Spaceport in French Guiana.
Designated Flight VA246 in
Arianespace’s launcher family numbering system,
it delivered the ISRO GSAT-11 relay platform for
Ku- and Ka-band communications, along with
KARI’s GEO-KOMPSAT-2A – which is to provide
meteorological and space weather monitoring
data.
“I want to express my
deepest gratitude to two very special partners
since the beginning of their space ambitions:
ISRO and KARI,” said Arianespace CEO Stéphane
Israël in post-launch comments from the
Spaceport.
Continuing the long
relationship with India’s ISRO
Israël noted that GSAT-11
was the 22nd ISRO satellite orbited by
Arianespace and Ariane-series launchers, tracing
the relationship back to India’s APPLE small
experimental communications spacecraft, which
had a liftoff mass of 670-kg. and was lofted in
1981 by an Ariane 1 version. On today’s Ariane 5
mission, GSAT-11 weighed in at 5,854.6 kg. – the
largest and heaviest satellite ever built by the
Indian space agency.
Deployed first during
Ariane 5’s 33-minute mission to geostationary
transfer orbit, GSAT-11 will be positioned at 74
deg. East, providing communications services in
Ku- and Ka-bands in both forward and return
links. The satellite was designed and
manufactured by ISRO, with its multi-spot beam
coverage over the Indian mainland and nearby
islands to bring significant advantages to users
when compared with existing India’s INSAT/GSAT
satellite systems. GSAT-11’s design lifetime is
more than 15 years.
South Korea’s seventh
satellite orbited by Arianespace
GEO-KOMPSAT-2A was carried
in Ariane 5’s lower payload position and
released second in the sequence for Flight
VA246. Developed by KARI at its South Korean
facility in Daejeon, this 3,507.2-kg. satellite
will deliver meteorological and space weather
monitoring from an orbital position of 128.2
deg. East as part of a Korean government
national program.
This close-up photo shows
the Ariane 5 payload fairing logos for Flight
VA246’s GSAT-11 and GEO-KOMPSAT-2A passengers,
along with a decal for the Community of Ariane
Cities and Les Mureaux.
“Arianespace is proud to
maintain such a close bond with South Korea,”
Israël stated, adding that Flight VA246 marked
the seventh time South Korea’s flag has appeared
on the fairing of an Arianespace launch vehicle.
In addition to the Ariane
5’s payload fairing logos representing Flight
VA246’s two satellite passengers, also included
was a decal recognizing the French city of Les
Mureaux – home to the ArianeGroup site
responsible for integration of Ariane 5
cryogenic main stages today, and for Ariane 6
launchers in the future. Les Mureaux is
completing its year-long presidency for the
Community of Ariane Cities, a non-profit
association that brings together cities and
their industrial companies involved in the
Ariane program.
The rapid tempo of
Arianespace launches
CEO Stéphane Israël noted
that Arianespace has once again confirmed its
flexibility and reliability by performing five
launches in two and a half months – from
September 25 to December 4 – with liftoffs
coming every two weeks since early November.
“What an impressive tempo,” he concluded, noting
that today’s Flight VA246’s orbiting of the
GSAT-11 and GEO-KOMPSAT-2A satellites for
connectivity and weather data gathering fulfills
Arianespace’s motto: “Space for a better life on
Earth.”