Preparations Continue For Arianespace’s Next Heavy-Lift Launch

The Ariane 5 for Arianespace’s upcoming mission at the service of Intelsat is now complete following integration of the Intelsat 33e and Intelsat 36 satellites – readying the launch vehicle for liftoff on August 24 from French Guiana.

Designated Flight VA232, the mission will be Arianespace’s sixth launch in 2016, and the fourth using a heavy-lift Ariane 5 this year. Its two payloads will be the 57th and 58th satellites lofted by Arianespace for Intelsat, continuing a relationship that began in 1983 as the U.S.-based operator developed a network to deliver high-quality, cost-effective video and broadband services worldwide.

During preparation activity for Flight VA232 in the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building, Intelsat 36 was installed atop the Ariane 5’s core stages on Friday, positioning the spacecraft as the mission’s lower passenger.

It was followed this weekend by the lowering of the launcher’s “composite” – consisting of Intelsat 33e, together with Ariane 5’s SYLDA dual-payload deployment system and the protective payload fairing – into position over Intelsat 36.

Deployed first during the mission to geostationary transfer orbit, Intelsat 33e is the second satellite in Intelsat’s next-generation high-throughput Intelsat Epic NG series. It joins Intelsat 29e, launched by Arianespace aboard another Ariane 5 in January.

(Source: Arianespace news release. Images from file)

FMI: www.arianespace.com