Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26
By Huseyn Veliyev – Trend:
The Launch Readiness On the launching platform ELA-3, at the Guiana Space Center, a countdown began to start the Ariane 5 launch vehicle with the Azerspace-2 / Intelsat 38 communication satellite on board.
Flight VA243 will become the 100th mission for the Ariane 5 heavy-lift launch vehicle and the 300th for the Arianespace launcher family.
The Azerbaijani satellite will be launched into orbit from Ariane Launch Complex No. 3 (ELA 3) of the French Guiana Space Center.
Launch window is 01:53 - 02:38 (GMT +4) on Sept. 26. The video broadcast of the launch is available at: https://youtu.be/lwF_qEHevrc
Besides Azerspace 2/Intelsat 38, the Horizons 3e satellite of the Intelsat joint venture and the Japanese operator Sky Perfect JSAT Corp will be launched on the same day.
Azerspace 2/Intelsat 38 is designed to provide a number of telecommunication services and will serve two operators - Intelsat SA and Azercosmos OJSC.
The satellite will provide coverage of the growing demand for DTH (Direct-to-Home) satellite broadcasting services in Europe, Central and South Asia, the Middle East and in the part of Africa south of the Sahara desert for Azercosmos OJSC.
The satellite will also provide continuity of service from the orbital position of 45 degrees for the Luxembourg office of the Intelsat SA, as well as will ensure the delivery of DTH services to Central and Eastern Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, and the provision of communication services in Africa.
Azerbaijan's first telecommunication satellite Azerspace/Africasat 1a was launched into geostationary orbit on Feb. 8, 2013. The satellite was launched from the Kourou space base by Arianespace.