Eutelsat and Brazilian satellites safely away
November 12, 2012
By Chris Forrester
Despite a launch delay because of poor weather the launch of Eutelsat’s 21B and Brazil’s StarOne C3 craft went flawlessly, bang on time at 21.05 GMT on November 10th. Separation of the spacecraft from its launch rocket occurred 28 minutes later. It was the 26th launch by Arianespace for Eutelsat.
Eutelsat will launch six more satellites by mid-2015 to significantly increase the size of its fleet (by about 30 per cent).
Eutelsat 21B will go to 21.5 degrees East after in-orbit testing and enter into full service by the middle of December. It will replace 21A which will be relocated to another orbital position.
The next Eutelsat (70B) will launch in early December.