Yahsat and New Dawn ready for lift off
March 29, 2011
Arianespace is scheduled to launch two satellites tomorrow from Kourou in French Guiana. YahSat-1A, owned by Mubadala, an Abu Dhabi sovereign investment fund, and Intelsat New Dawn, a satellite owned jointly by Intelsat and an African investment group, make up the rocket’s cargo.
YahSat-1A will be positioned at 52.5 degrees East to supply extra DTH satellite capacity for the Middle East and Africa. The satellite carries 14 C-band transponders and 25 Ku-band transponders. The Ku-band transponders are being marketed by SES Astra.
Intelsat’s New Dawn craft will be positioned at 33 degrees East, and its 28 C-band and 24 Ku-band transponders will handle the growing demand for connectivity into and out from Africa, including wireless backhaul, broadband and TV programming.
The launch can be watched live at http://www.videocorner.tv/index.htm
Launch window timings are:
Kourou time: 6.45-7.52pm on March 30
Universal time: 9.45-10.52pm March 30
Paris time: 11.45pm-0.52am March 30-31
Washington time: 5.45-6.52pm March 30
Other posts by Chris Forrester:
- SpaceX building a spy satellite network?
- Hot success for Musk’s Starship
- Bank downgrades SES
- Rocket Lab: “We must match SpaceX’s business model”
- Starship flight plan lodged
- FCC approves 7,500 Starlinks with E-band
- ESPI seeks new ways to finance Space activity
- Lost Eutelsat craft stabilised
- Musk’s Starship #3 to launch on March 14