Tampa, Florida On the Ariane 5 rocket’s first flight of the year on June 22, Arianespace launched two satellites with the goal of enhancing broadband coverage in the Asia-Pacific area.
Measat-3d for the Malaysian operator Measat and GSAT-24 for India were aboard the rocket when it launched at 5:50 p.m. Eastern from the Guiana Space Center spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
Both satellites will utilize onboard propulsion to go to their ultimate placements in geostationary orbit after safely disengaging from Ariane 5.
This was Ariane 5’s 113th total flight and the first since it carried the James Webb Space Telescope into orbit on December 25.
Before Europe’s newest Ariane 6 rocket takes over, Arianespace said that four heavy-lift Ariane 5 spacecraft are still in service. Ariane 6’s first flight is presently scheduled for 2023 due to delays.
The successor to Europe’s small launch vehicle Vega, Vega C, will make its first flight on July 7 with the next Arianespace launch.
Two outdated Measat satellites, including one that began drifting from its geostationary orbit slot in the middle of last year, are scheduled to be replaced by Measat-3d.
Measat-3d, which was developed by the European company Airbus Defence and Space, intends to deliver broadband connections up to 100 megabits per second throughout Malaysia in locations where there is little to no terrestrial network coverage.
The satellite seeks to offer broadband as well as redundancy and extra capacity for video distribution in the Asia-Pacific area.
Additionally, Measat-3d has a navigation payload that South Korean satellite operator KTSAT intends to employ to enhance air traffic management in that country.
The GSAT-24 satellite was created by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for its state-funded commercial affiliate NewSpace India Limited, which intends to utilize it for broadcast and telecommunications services in India.