Mission Update
BADR-6 is fueled for Ariane 5's next dual-payload mission
June 19, 2008
 BADR-6 is "topped off" in the S5B integration and fueling hall of the Spaceport's S5 payload preparation facility. |
The Middle East's newest TV broadcast satellite is one step closer to launch following its fueling for a July 4 liftoff from the Spaceport in French Guiana.
BADR-6 was topped off this morning in the Spaceport's S5 payload preparation facility, readying it for the heavy-lift Ariane 5 ECA flight that also will carry the ProtoStar I spacecraft. ProtoStar I was fueled late last week as mission activity continues apace for Ariane 5's busiest year since the launcher's commercial introduction in 1999.
The BADR-6 spacecraft was built jointly by EADS Astrium and Alcatel Alenia Space, and will be operated by the Saudi Arabia-based Arabsat for video broadcasting services over the Middle East and North Africa regions. BADR-6 will have a liftoff mass of 3,400 kg., and carries a mixed payload of 24 C-band and 20 Ku-band transponders. The platform is designed for a lifetime of about 15 years, and is to operate from Arabsat's 26 deg. E geostationary orbital location.
Arianespace plans a total of seven Ariane 5 launches in 2008, with three of these on-target missions already performed. The most recent flight was June 12, when an Ariane 5 ECA orbited Skynet 5C and Turksat 3A on the workhorse launcher's 25th consecutive success. It was preceded by an Ariane 5 ECA mission on April 18 with Star One C2 and VINASAT-1, as well as the historic March 9 flight of an Ariane 5 ES that orbited the first Automated Transfer Vehicle for servicing of the International Space Station.
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