This is a list of launches performed or scheduled to be performed by Arianecarrier rockets between 2010 and 2019. Since 2004, only the Ariane 5 is in service, operating in the ECA and ES configurations. The last Ariane 5 ES flew in 2018. The ECA version has flown until 2023 and will soon complete the transition to the Ariane 6.[1]
Intelsat 33e's LEROS apogee engine, which supposed to perform orbit raising, failed soon after its successful launch, forcing to use the experimentation of low-thrust reaction control system which extended the commissioning time 3 months longer than expected.[7] Later, it suffered other thruster problems which cut its operational life time for about 3.5 years.[8]
This mission carried the first Intelsat EpicNG satellite based on the Eurostar E3000 platform, while other Intelsat EpicNG satellites were based on BSS-702MP platform.[9]
Heaviest and most expensive commercial payload ever put into orbit,[11] valued at approximately $800 million (~$1 billion including the rocket).[12] ViaSat-2 suffered antenna glitch, which cut about 15% of its intended throughput.[13]
Launch was scrubbed from 5 September due to electrical fault in one of the solid rocket boosters that caused launch abort in the last seconds before liftoff.[14]
The four satellites were accommodated inside the medium version of the upper stage fairing.[15] The satellites, numbered SAT 19-20-21-22 and built by OHB System in Bremen, Germany, for the European Commission's Galileo programme under the supervision of the ESA, had a mass at liftoff of about 715 kilograms (1,576 lb) each, that is a total of approximately 2,860 kilograms (6,310 lb).[15] The mission was planned to last 4 hours, 40 minutes and 52 seconds, placing the two pairs of satellites into their medium Earth orbit, at an altitude of about 22,922 kilometres (14,243 mi) and an inclination of about 57 degrees.[15]
Telemetry from the launch vehicle was lost after 9 minutes 30 seconds into the flight, after rocket trajectory went off course due to invalid inertial units' azimuth value.[16] Satellites later found to have separated from the upper stage and entered an incorrect orbit with large inclination deviations.[17][18] However, they were able to reach the planned orbit with small loss of on board propellant for SES-14 and still expected to meet the designed life time,[19] but with significant loss on Al Yah 3 (up to 50% of its intended operational life).[20][21]
Return-to-flight mission after VA-241 mishap in 25 January, and the first Arianespace launch following the mishap.[22] The launcher was carrying the DSN-1/Superbird-8 and HYLAS-4 geostationary satellites. The satellites were accommodated together on the SYLDA adapter inside the long version of the upper stage fairing.[23] The mission was planned to last 33 minutes and 56 seconds, placing both satellites into a geostationary transfer orbit, with an apogee of about 35,786 kilometres (22,236 mi) and a perigee of about 250 kilometres (160 mi), at an inclination of about 3 degrees.[23]
Superbird-8 was in the upper position. It had a mass at liftoff of about 5,348 kilograms (11,790 lb).[23] The satellite was supposed to launch in mid-2016, but due to overpressurization within the container during shipping to the launch site that caused significant damage, the satellite was returned to the manufacturer for repair work and additional testing, delaying the launch for almost two years.[24]HYLAS-4 was in the lower position. It had a mass at liftoff of approximately 4,050 kilograms (8,930 lb).[23]
Hundredth Ariane 5 mission.[25] Flight VA-243 was delayed from 25 May due to issues with GSAT-11, which was eventually replaced by Horizons-3e.[26] The satellites were accommodated inside the long version of the upper stage fairing on the SYLDA adapter.[27] Horizons-3e had a liftoff mass of about 6,441 kilograms (14,200 lb) and was operated from the 169° East position.
Azerspace-2, also known as Intelsat 38, had a liftoff mass of about 3,500 kilograms (7,700 lb).[27]Azerbaijan’s second geostationary satellite would expand Azerspace-1's capacity while replacing Intelsat 12 from the 45° East position. It was SSL's 65th and Intelsat's 61st spacecraft to be launched by Arianespace.[28]
The mission was planned to last 42 minutes and 17 seconds, placing both the satellites into geostationary transfer orbits with a perigee altitude of about 250 kilometres (160 mi) and apogee of 35,726 kilometres (22,199 mi) and an inclination of about 6 degrees.[27][29]
The satellites were accommodated inside the medium version of the upper stage fairing.[30] They were built by OHB System in Bremen, Germany, for the European Commission's Galileo programme under the supervision of the ESA.[30] They were assigned to the constellation's orbital plane B to provide additional coverage and performance to the now complete initial constellation composed of 24 operational satellites plus two in-orbit spares, all of which having been put into orbit by Arianespace. The satellites, numbered 23, 24, 25 and 26, are named after children who won the European Commission's Galileo drawing competition: Tara, Samuel, Anna and Ellen, respectively.
The mission was planned to last 3 hours, 56 minutes and 54 seconds, placing the two pairs of satellites into their medium Earth orbit, at an altitude of about 22,922 kilometres (14,243 mi) (corresponding to a semi-major axis of 29,300 kilometres (18,200 mi), 300 kilometres (190 mi) below Galileo operational orbit) and an inclination of about 56 degrees.[30][31]
The payloads of the flight were adapted together onto the SYLDA adapter inside the long version of the upper stage fairing.[34] The total payload mass was approximately 10,018 kilograms (22,086 lb), including the adapters.[35] The launch placed both satellites into geosynchronous transfer orbits with perigee altitudes of about 250 kilometres (160 mi) and apogee altitudes of approximately 35,786 kilometres (22,236 mi) at inclinations of about 3°.[34]
GSAT-31 was in the lower position. The telecommunication satellite had a liftoff mass of 2,536 kilograms (5,591 lb). It was designed and manufactured by ISRO to operate for more than 15 years from the 48° East orbital position, providing telecommunications services with Ku-band coverage. It is ISRO's 22nd spacecraft orbited by Arianespace.[34]
American telecommunications company AT&T and European satellite operator Eutelsat were the customers for Ariane flight VA248.[36] The flight launched two geostationary satellites.[37][38] AT&T commissioned the launch of its AT&T T-16 communications satellite, originally ordered by satellite television provider DirecTV as the next satellite in its existing fleet prior to the acquisition of the company in 2015.[36][39][a][42] Eutelsat commissioned the launch of its Eutelsat 7C communications satellite, which provides 49 Ku bandtransponders for Sub-Saharan Africandigital television stations and capacity for several hundred channels in the region.[43][44] The satellite also has optical communication capabilities for use by government services in Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia, with a steerable beam capable of reaching areas visible to the satellite in its geostationary orbit above Africa.[45] Eutelsat 7C was manufactured by Maxar Technologies and its design, intended for a lifespan of 15 years, is based on the SSL 1300satellite bus.[46] Weighing 3,400 kilograms (7,500 pounds), the satellite uses electric propulsion for orbit maintenance, which reduces the satellite's launch mass.[46][47] Eutelsat 7C arrived at the Guiana Space Center on 31 May.[48] AT&T T-16 and Eutelsat 7C were the 601st and 602nd satellites launched by Arianespace.[49]
The rocket's boosters and EPC first stage were expended in under nine minutes, while the ESC-A upper stage's HM7B engines burned for 16 minutes;[50] the EPC first stage intentionally crashed in the Gulf of Guinea, off the west coast of Africa.[50] Following the conclusion of the burn, AT&T T-16 separated from the ESC-A at 22:11 UTC, 28 minutes after the start of the flight, followed by the Eutelsat 7C's separation six minutes later, at 22:17 UTC.[38][47] The flight lasted 34 minutes,[38] and placed the satellites into a geostationary transfer orbit from which they will eventually be placed into geostationary orbit through their own propulsion.[49] Eutelsat 7C was placed at 7° east, a position which allowed the satellite to serve its intended markets in Africa, Central Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.[51][45] Eutelsat 7C continued in-orbit testing until the end of 2019, after which it became fully operational.[52]
Ariane flight VA248 was the 104th launch of an Ariane 5 launch vehicle, and the 71st launch of its ECA variant.[49][53] It was also the fifth launch conducted by Arianespace in 2019.[53]
^The acquisition made AT&T the largest provider of subscription television in the world, with 26 million subscribers in 2015;[40][41] this has since decreased to 22.4 million subscribers in 2019.
^Forrester, Chris (12 March 2018). "YahSat to make 50% insurance claim". advanced-television.com. Advanced Television. Archived from the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
^ abClark 2019, "The two payloads bolted to the top of the Ariane 5 are the T-16 satellite, a broadcasting spacecraft originally ordered by DirecTV before its acquisition by AT&T, and the Eutelsat 7C video relay station, both heading for positions in geostationary orbit more than 22,000 miles (nearly 36,000 kilometers) over the equator."
^Bergin 2019, "The launcher carried a total payload of approximately 10,594 kg."
^ abcRabie 2019, "Both satellites safely arrived in geostationary transfer orbit in a relatively short amount of time. DirecTV 16 was the first to separate from the rocket's upper stage at approximately 28 minutes after liftoff, and it was followed by Eutelsat 7C six minutes later."
^Finley, Klint (24 July 2015). "AT&T-DirecTV Merger Creates World's Largest Pay TV Company". Wired. Archived from the original on 22 April 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2019. AT&T says that the merger makes the company the largest provider of pay television services in the world with 26 million US subscribers.
^Selyukh, Alina (25 July 2015). "AT&T, DirecTV complete merger to form biggest pay-TV company". Reuters. Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2019. The company said it will serve more than 26 million U.S. customers and more than 19 million in Latin America, making it the world's biggest pay-TV company.
^Clark 2019, "But there are still plenty of customers subscribing to AT&T's pay-TV offerings. As of the end of March, AT&T's DirecTV and U-verse services had 22.4 million subscribers."
^Ecuer et al. 2019, "Built by Maxar Technologies, the 3.4 tonne satellite will serve markets across Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Turkey through 49 36-Mhz equivalent Ku-band transponders.".
^Bergin 2019, "By almost doubling capacity over Sub-Saharan Africa, from 22 to 42 transponders, EUTELSAT 7C will have room for several hundred additional digital channels to support the region’s fast expanding TV market."
^ abBergin 2019, "It will also be equipped with a beam providing enhanced capacity for government services over Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia, as well as a steerable beam that can cover any region visible from 7° East."
^ abLewis, Wendy (21 March 2016). "SSL selected to provide powerful all-electric satellite to Eutelsat". SSL. Archived from the original on 21 June 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2019. EUTELSAT 7C is based on the SSL 1300 platform [...] It will exclusively use electric propulsion for orbit raising as well as station keeping and will provide service for a minimum of 15 years. All-electric satellites provide efficient solutions for satellite operators by reducing launch mass while retaining payload performance.
^ abHenry 2019, "The 6,330-kilogram T-16 satellite, built by Airbus Defence and Space, separated from the rocket's upper stage 28 minutes later, followed by the 3,400-kilogram Eutelsat-7C satellite from Maxar Technologies 34 minutes after liftoff".
^Ecuer et al. 2019, "EUTELSAT 7C, Eutelsat Communications' (Paris:ETL) newest high-power broadcast satellite, has arrived at the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana...".
^ abClark, Stephen (20 June 2019). "Live coverage: Ariane 5 successful in dual-payload launch from French Guiana". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 21 June 2019. Plus+9 minutes, 15 seconds. The main cryogenic stage's Vulcain engine has cut off and the spent stage has separated. It will fall back into the atmosphere into the Atlantic Ocean in the Gulf of Guinea off the west coast of Africa. [...] This upper stage engine is about seven minutes into a planned 16-minute burn. [...] Plus+25 minutes, 20 seconds. The rocket's second stage shut down as scheduled.
^Ecuer et al. 2019, "The satellite will go into full commercial service at the end of 2019 following all electric orbit raising and in orbit tests".
^ abClark 2019, "Thursday’s launch will be the 104th flight of an Ariane 5 rocket, and the second Ariane 5 flight this year. It will be the fifth mission of the year for Arianespace..."
^Krebs, Gunter D. "Ariane-5ECA+". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
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