Astra 1N ready for August 3

[sofien72tu]

Astra 1N readies for July 1 launch
Published: 07.09 Europe/London, May 27, 2011 by Robert Briel

The Astra 1N satellite is undergoing initial checkout in French Guiana, as preparations move forward at the Spaceport for a dual-passenger Ariane 5 mission set for July 1.

This activity with the Astra 1N relay platform is taking place in the Spaceport’s S5 payload processing facility where it already has completed its fit-check validation, clearing the way for additional milestones such as fueling prior to the integration on Ariane 5.

Astra 1N is built by EADS Astrium based on the company’s E3000 platform, the satellite will have a liftoff mass of more than 5,300 kg. The spacecraft is designed for a nominal lifetime of 15 years.

Following its deployment by Ariane 5, Astra 1N initially will provide interim capacity from an orbital position of 28.2 degrees East, and subsequently will be moved to this operator’s prime location at 19.2 degrees East for primary and backup services.

Joining Astra 1N on Ariane 5′s upcoming mission in July will be the BSat-3c/JCSat-110R telecommunications platform, which was manufactured by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems.

 

[usama2009]

Launch Of ASTRA 1N Satellite Postponed Until Late July

Luxembourg, July 4th 2011. - SES S.A. (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG), announces that the launch of its new ASTRA 1N satellite has been postponed due to an anomaly that occurred during the final launch count-down on July 1st, 2011.

Following the anomaly detected on Friday during the launch attempt, Arianespace has decided to replace the valve of the EPC (the main cryogenic stage), which did not function nominally. In order to carry out this operation, the Ariane 5 ECA launch vehicle has been rolled back into the Final Assembly Building (BAF). The valve's replacement and the ensuing operations should require approximately 20 days.

Arianespace will reschedule the launch shortly.

The launch vehicle and its payload, the ASTRA 1N and the BSAT-3c/JCSAT-110R satellite are maintained in fully safe conditions.

ASTRA 1N is scheduled for launch on board an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana. The new ASTRA satellite was built by Astrium in Toulouse, France, and is intended to first provide interim replacement capacity at the orbital location of 28.2° East. The satellite will subsequently be moved to 19.2° East, from where it will mainly serve the German, French and Spanish markets.

About SES

SES (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) wholly owns the market-leading satellite operators SES ASTRA and SES WORLD SKIES, and participations in Ciel in Canada and QuetzSat in Mexico as well as a strategic participation in satellite infrastructure start-up O3b Networks. SES provides outstanding satellite communications solutions via a global fleet of 44 satellites.

 

[sofien72tu]

Astra 1N ready for August 3
By Chris Forrester



The delayed Astra 1N satellite is now slated for launch on the evening of August 3 from the Kourou space centre in French Guiana.

Originally the satellite was planned to launch on July 1, but a last minute technical hitch brought the countdown to a halt. The anomaly was detected on a valve of the main Vulcan cryogenic stage during final countdown operations for Flight 203 resulting in Arianespace deciding to postpone the launch (as well as its co-passenger BSAT-3c/JCSAT-110R satellite).