DutchSpace @DutchSpace 1m1 minute agoInteresting, the Antonov that had Eutelsat 172B inside at #Cayenne has left yesterday,no word on where the S/C is currently... #VA237 #CSG
DutchSpace @DutchSpace 16m16 minutes ago@DutchSpace It landed in Suriname, Zanderij, PBM
DutchSpace @DutchSpace 18s18 seconds agoUpdate on @Eutelsat_SA Eutelsat 172B planned for #VA237 has flow back to @AirbusSpace Toulouse after being stuck in #Cayenne HT @urskaelin
VA237, June 1, 2017: an Ariane 5 ECA launcher will orbit ViaSat-2 and E172B for the operators ViaSat and Eutelsat.
DutchSpace @DutchSpace 2m2 minutes agoThis S/C likes airmiles, first flying back to Europe after being stuck in #Cayenne due to strikes, it's back at #CSG Eutelsat 172B #VA237
Nice to finally see @Eutelsat_SA 172B inside S5C at #CSG for launch prep on #Ariane5 #VA237
Quote DutchSpace @DutchSpace 22s23 seconds agoSome #CSG updates: #VA237 planned for 01/06/2017 at 20:45 local #VA238 planned for 28/06/2017 at 18:20 localhttps://twitter.com/DutchSpace/status/864409095276834816
DutchSpace @DutchSpace 22s23 seconds agoSome #CSG updates: #VA237 planned for 01/06/2017 at 20:45 local #VA238 planned for 28/06/2017 at 18:20 local
Ariane 5 May 24, 2017Arianespace to serve global connectivity for ViaSat Inc. and EutelsatFor its sixth launch of the year, and the third Ariane 5 mission in 2017 from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana, Arianespace will orbit two satellites: ViaSat-2 for ViaSat Inc.; and EUTELSAT 172B for Eutelsat.This mission – the 237th overall by an Ariane launcher – will mark a new all-time Arianespace record for a total payload weight orbited: 10,865 kg., including a net mass at liftoff of 9,969 kg. for the two satellites.ViaSat-2 and EUTELSAT 172B are the 558th and 559th satellites to be launched by Arianespace.With this 289th mission by the Arianespace family of launchers (Ariane 5, Soyuz and Vega), Arianespace is serving global connectivity on Earth.The launch will be from Ariane Launch Complex No. 3 (ELA 3) in Kourou, French Guiana.The Launch Readiness Review (LRR) will take place on Tuesday, May 30, 2017 in Kourou, to authorize the start of operations for the final countdown.ViaSat-2 is the first ViaSat satellite to be launched by Arianespace.ViaSat Inc., a new customer for Arianespace and its Ariane 5 launch vehicle, provides international communities with broadband internet connectivity, accessible on land, at sea and in the air, at competitive rates in relation to other satellite or terrestrial services.The ViaSat-2 satellite system should bring considerable improvements in terms of speed, lower costs and extended broadband coverage within its footprint, as well as along the main aeronautical and maritime routes linking North America and Europe (Atlantic Ocean).ViaSat-2 will also provide nearly twice the capacity offered by previous generations of ViaSat satellites, along with seven times as much coverage.Positioned at 70° West, ViaSat-2 will provide throughput of approximately 300 Gbps in Ka-band over its coverage zone, which includes North and Central America, plus the Caribbean, northern South America, and aeronautical and maritime routes in the Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe.ViaSat-2 was built by Boeing in El Segundo, California, using a 702HP platform.EUTELSAT 172B will be the 32nd satellite launched by Arianespace for Eutelsat. Both companies have worked side-by-side since 1983, when Arianespace launched the Eutelsat-1 F1 satellite. Including this upcoming launch, more than half of Eutelsat’s satellites will have been orbited by Arianespace.Eutelsat is one of the world’s leading and most experienced operators of communications satellites. The company provides capacity on 39 satellites to clients that include broadcasters and broadcasting associations; pay-TV operators; video, data and Internet service providers; enterprises and government agencies.EUTELSAT 172B will deliver increased capacity for fast-growing applications that include in-flight and maritime connectivity, cellular backhaul, corporate networks, video distribution and government services. It will be located at 172° East, a key neighborhood providing exceptional Asia-Pacific reach over land and sea, from Alaska to Australia.EUTELSAT 172B is the first all-electric telecommunications satellite built in Europe. This key enabling technology has been implemented by Airbus in Toulouse, using the new all-electric Eurostar E3000 EOR (Electric Orbit Raising) platform.For further information, download the Launch Kit by clicking here: http://www.arianespace.com/press-kits/To watch a live, high-speed online transmission of the launch (including commentary from the launch site in French and Eng-lish), go to arianespace.com on June 1, 2017 starting 15 minutes before liftoff.You also can follow the launch live on your iPhone or iPad (the Arianespace HD app is free).
Arianespace Flight VA237: ViaSat-2 and EUTELSAT 172B Published on 29 May 2017Liftoff is planned on Thursday, June 1, 2017 as early as possible within the following launch window:- Between 4:45 p.m. and 5:45 p.m., Carlsbad, California,- Between 7:45 p.m. and 8:45 p.m., Washington, D.C. time- Between 8:45 p.m. and 9:45 p.m., Kourou, in French Guiana- Between 23:45 and 00:45, Universal Time (UTC) during the night of June 1 to June 2- Between 01:45 p.m. and 2:45 p.m., Paris time on June 2.Follow the launch live: http://www.arianespace.com
Ariane 5 May 30, 2017Arianespace’s Ariane 5 is “go” for liftoff on June 1 with the ViaSat-2 and EUTELSAT 172B satellite passengersThe sixth Arianespace launch of 2017 is approved for liftoff on June 1 from the Spaceport in French Guiana, with its dual-satellite payload of ViaSat-2 and EUTELSAT 172B.The authorization for this week’s mission – designated Flight VA237 in Arianespace’s launcher family numbering system – followed today’s Launch Readiness Review, which confirmed the “go” status for Ariane 5, its two spacecraft passengers, the Spaceport infrastructure and the network of tracking stations.Flight VA237’s Ariane 5 is now ready for rollout from the Final Assembly Building, where ViaSat-2 and EUTELSAT 172B were integrated on the launcher, to the Spaceport’s ELA-3 launch zone.Liftoff will commence as soon as possible in a one-hour launch window that opens at 8:45 p.m. in French Guiana (between 23:45 and 00:45 Universal Time, during the night of June 1 to June 2).ViaSat-2 and EUTELSAT 172B will be deployed into geostationary transfer orbit on a mission lasting just under 42 minutes.Released first will be ViaSat-2, which is expected to bring considerable improvements in terms of speed, lower costs and extended broadband coverage within its footprint, which includes North and Central America, plus the Caribbean, northern South America, and the aeronautical and maritime routes in the Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe. As a global broadband services and technology company, ViaSat operates from corporate headquarters in Carlsbad, California.ViaSat-2 was built by Boeing in El Segundo, California, using a 702HP platform, and will be positioned at 70 deg. West.EUTELSAT 172B’s deployment by Ariane 5 will complete Arianespace’s Flight VA237. Operating at an orbital position of 172 deg. East for Asia-Pacific reach over land and sea from Alaska to Australia, the relay platform will deliver increased capacity for fast-growing applications that include in-flight and maritime connectivity, cellular backhaul, corporate networks, video distribution and government services. This satellite will join the fleet of Paris-based Eutelsat, a leading satellite operator in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.Using the new all-electric Eurostar E3000 EOR (Electric Orbit Raising) platform assembled by Airbus in Toulouse, France, EUTELSAT 172B is the initial all-electric telecommunications satellite built in Europe – and the first of its type orbited by Ariane 5.Flight VA237 maintains Arianespace’s busy launch schedule in 2017, during which the company is targeting a total of 12 flights using its heavy-lift Ariane 5, medium-lift Soyuz and lightweight Vega vehicles. The five missions already performed this year have utilized two Ariane 5s, two Soyuz launchers and one Vega.
Flight VA237’s dual payload is integrated in the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building, with EUTELSAT 172B positioned atop Ariane 5’s core stages (at left), followed by the lowering of the “upper composite,” consisting of ViaSat-2 and the SYLDA dispenser system, protected by the launcher’s payload fairing.
Rollout completed: #Ariane5 is in the launch zone for tomorrow’s Flight #VA237, which will orbit the ViaSat-2 and EUTELSAT 172B satellites
DutchSpace @DutchSpace 4m4 minutes agoAltitude profile for today's launch of #Ariane5 #VA237
No matter how many times I see it; it's still a bit startling to see such a huge booster boom off the pad so quickly! It doesn't hang about, does it?
Peter B. de Selding @pbdes 8m8 minutes agoRobotic arms w/ ion thrusters now positioned on @Eutelsat_SA 172B launched June 2, raising sat to GEO orbit; to take ~4 months. Service Q4.
Peter B. de Selding @pbdes 48m48 minutes agoViaSat-2 brdbnd sat completes chemical-fuel orbit-raise, now on electric; solar arrays deployed. @ViaSatInc doesnt allow detailed pic/image.
Q: How long until ViaSat-2 gets to final GEO position?A: We finished the chemical part of the orbit raising and the current assessment is October arrival on station. Our co-passenger [Eutelsat’s all-electric 172B] wasn’t determined initially, and turned out to have greater mass than most. A lighter co-passenger would have allowed more chemical propellant and a shorter overall orbit raising time. But we’re still happy with the trade-off, given that we’ll have the use of the payload capability for far longer than the difference in the orbit raising time.
Tweet from Caleb Henry:From @roscosmos, the electric propulsion thrusters that lifted Eutelsat-172b in record time were Russian. https://www.roscosmos.ru/24291/