Mission Update
ProtoStar I is fueled for its heavy-lift Ariane 5 launch from the Spaceport
June 17, 2008
Satellite preparations have taken center stage at the Spaceport in French Guiana as Arianespace readies its fourth Ariane 5 flight of 2008.
As part of this activity, the mission's ProtoStar I payload has been fueled in the S5A hall of the Spaceport's state-of-the-art S5 satellite preparation facility. This large satellite platform is based on Space Systems/Loral's 1300 spacecraft bus, and will provide K-band/C-band relay capacity over Asia.
ProtoStar I is the first in a fleet of relay platforms that Asian satellite services company ProtoStar plans to launch for advanced satellite television services and powerful two-way broadband communications access. The spacecraft was designed to meet the needs of both emerging and existing direct-to-home (DTH) operators in Asia, as well as other broadband communication requirements in the region.
Arianespace's upcoming mission is scheduled for July 4, using an Ariane 5 ECA heavy-lift launcher version. ProtoStar I will be joined by Saudi Arabia's BADR-6 satellite on another of Ariane 5's trademark dual-passenger flights.
This flight follows the Ariane 5's June 6 mission, which delivered Skynet 5C and Turksat 3A into highly accurate geostationary transfer orbit on the workhorse vehicle's 25th consecutive success.
Other Ariane 5 flights performed so far in 2008 were the April 18 dual-payload Ariane 5 ECA mission with Star One C2 and VINASAT-1, and the historic launch of an Ariane 5 ES version on March 9 with Europe's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) for the International Space Station.
Arianespace is targeting its busiest year of Ariane 5 operations since the launcher's 1999 commercial introduction, with a total of seven missions scheduled during 2008.
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