Really Rocket Science

Nice job, Arianespace!

The mission was carried out by an Ariane 5 ECA launcher from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Liftoff was on Friday, September 28, 2012 at 6:18 pm local time in Kourou (5:18 pm in Washington, D.C., 21:18 UT, 11:18 pm in Paris, and on Saturday, September 29 at 2:48 am in Bangalore).

ASTRA 2F. Built by Astrium using a Eurostar E3000 platform, ASTRA 2F weighed 6,000 kg at launch. Fitted with active Ku- and Ka-band transponders, ASTRA 2F will be positioned at 28.2 degrees East. It will deliver new-generation DTH TV broadcast services to Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and offers a design life of about 15 years.

GSAT-10. Designed, assembled and integrated by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in Bangalore, southern India, GSAT-10 weighed about 3,400 kg at launch and offers a design life exceeding 15 years. The satellite is fitted with 18 C-band and 12 Ku-band transponders. Positioned at 83 degrees East, it will provide direct-to-home broadcasting, weather and radio-navigation services. Its coverage zone encompasses the entire Indian sub-continent.

Another spectacular launch from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana (technically a “department of France”). The payload included ASTRA 1N and BSAT-3c/JCSAT-110R satellites — both big geo spacecraft, an Astrium Eurostar 3000 and a Lockheed Martin A2100, respectively. Both are intended as replacement capacity for DTH services in their respective markets in Europe and Japan.

Love the ASTRA version, complete with interviews and German voice-over, “ASTRA 1N Satellitenstart an Bord einer Ariane 5 Rakete by SES ASTRA”