Arianespace successfully launched the Intelsat 17 satellite (IS-17),
26 November 2010. The Ariane 5 vehicle lifted off from Kourou, French Guiana, at 1:39 p.m. EST, followed by spacecraft separation and signal acquisition at approximately 2:06 p.m. EST.
The satellite, built by Space Systems/Loral, will provide C- and Ku-band capacity across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Russia and Asia from the 66º E orbital location. IS-17 is an important addition to the Intelsat fleet, expanding its successful Asian video distribution neighborhood located at 68.5º E, on the Intelsat 10 satellite. This satellite will replace the Intelsat 702 satellite and is designed to provide service for the next 16 years. IS-17 is slated to enter service in the first quarter of 2011.
26 November 2010
Intelsat 17 "Go" for Launch!
An Ariane 5 rocket is "go for launch" today, 26 November. Liftoff of the Ariane 5 rocket is scheduled for 1839 GMT (1:39 p.m. EST) from the ELA-3 launch pad in Kourou, French Guiana. The launch window extends until 2154 GMT (4:54 p.m. EDT). To watch the live launch broadcast, go to www.intelsat.com.17 November 2010
Intelsat 17 Completed Encapsulation
The Intelsat 17 satellite completed encapsulation under the fairing and also completed all the spacecraft tests to ensure it is ready for integration on the Ariane 5 launch vehicle. The launch of the Intelsat 17 satellite is currently scheduled for Friday, 26 November, at 1:39 p.m. EST.
09 November 2010
IS-17 Finishes Electrical Test and Moves to Fueling Hall
After 12 days of electrical tests, the Intelsat 17 is ready for the next stage in its preparation for launch, namely the checking out of the propulsion system and the loading of propellants.
On 8 November, the satellite moved from the S1 building here at The Guiana Space Centre where we did all our electrical testing, to S3 where we will load the propellants. The S3 is a fueling facility with all the necessary equipment to make the hazardous operations as safe as possible.
The propulsion team is required to wear SCAPE suits during this operation, to protect them in case of a fuel spill.
Meanwhile, the integration of our launch vehicle, flight V198, was completed on 5 November, and the launch vehicle was moved from the BIL (launcher integration building) to the BAF (final assembly building). At this stage the launch vehicle consists of the two solid rocket boosters supporting the central cryo tanks and the main engine.
As we move forward, we will be working weekends and holidays between now and the launch day, as our countdown to launch continues. We are targeting a launch day of 26 November. 01 November 2010
Intelsat 17: Construction Facts & Images
Intelsat 17 is a large satellite, weighing 5,500 kg at launch. It will embark 3,160 kg of fuel that will allow us to operate it in “station-kept mode” for over 17 years.
The satellite carries four deployable side antennas and one fixed earth deck antenna. It also hosts a steerable Ku-band antenna. The cruciform solar arrays of 5 panels each will provide 12.5 kW of power after 15 years, more than enough to operate the 8.8kW of payload power of the 49 active transponders.
Intelsat 17 will be the 45th satellite built by Space Systems/Loral to join our fleet.
The satellite carries four deployable side antennas and one fixed earth deck antenna. It also hosts a steerable Ku-band antenna. The cruciform solar arrays of 5 panels each will provide 12.5 kW of power after 15 years, more than enough to operate the 8.8kW of payload power of the 49 active transponders.
Intelsat 17 will be the 45th satellite built by Space Systems/Loral to join our fleet.
Pictured Below: Intelsat-17 in Center of Gravity / Moment of Inertia (CG/MOI) measurements testing at the Space Systems/Loral satellite manufacturing facility in Palo Alto, Calif.
Countdown to Launch: Intelsat 17 Arrives in French Guiana
We are busy executing the final launch preparations for the launch of our Intelsat 17 satellite. After verification tests at the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana are completed, the Intelsat 17 satellite will be fueled and then mated to the Ariane 5 launch vehicle for its launch that is slated for 25 November.
Once in orbit, Intelsat 17 will be positioned at 66º E, effectively next to our successful Asian video distribution neighborhood located at 68.5º E, on the Intelsat 10 satellite, which has been serving our customers since 2001.
Intelsat 17’s C- and Ku-band capacity, and multi-continental coverage will offer programmers distribution in a region that extends across Asia and into Europe and Africa. It will replace Intelsat 702, which was launched in June 1994, and has been serving our customers for more than 16 years.
Intelsat 17 Ships to Launch Base
The Intelsat 17 satellite recently completed construction ahead of schedule at Space Systems/Loral and was shipped to us here,
in French Guiana, on 24 October. Its journey began when it was installed in the Centaurus environmentally-controlled shipping container at SS/L’s high bay in Palo Alto, CA, and trucked to the nearby airfield at Moffet Field, where it was loaded onto an Antonov An-124. From there, the spacecraft, handling dolly and all the necessary test racks and mechanical support equipment were loaded for the flight to South America.
A 21st Century Facility in the Middle of a Jungle
Twelve hours later, the plane landed at Rochambeau airport near Cayenne, the capital of French Guiana, where the Cantaurus container was unloaded and trucked about 50 miles to the processing facility at the launch base, the Centre Spatial Guyanais(CSG), near Kourou. This facility is where Arianespace launches its Ariane 5 rockets.
As we drove to CSG, we were surrounded by dense jungle on both sides and, regardless of how many time we visit this spaceport, it is impressive to see how the jungle has been tamed to make way for the hi-tech
launch facilities here. At the entrance to the base, there is a large, open-framed, steel globe that always is a welcomed site. Our colleague Jon Harborne, who is the senior manager of the IS-17 spacecraft program, is pictured here at the entrance to the CSG launch base. Around the globe you can see the various flags flying, representing the member states of the European Space Agency. In the background you can see a full-scale model of an Ariane 5 rocket, and the Jupiter control center, which also houses the CSG Space Museum.
Once in orbit, Intelsat 17 will be positioned at 66º E, effectively next to our successful Asian video distribution neighborhood located at 68.5º E, on the Intelsat 10 satellite, which has been serving our customers since 2001.
Intelsat 17’s C- and Ku-band capacity, and multi-continental coverage will offer programmers distribution in a region that extends across Asia and into Europe and Africa. It will replace Intelsat 702, which was launched in June 1994, and has been serving our customers for more than 16 years.
Intelsat 17 Ships to Launch Base
The Intelsat 17 satellite recently completed construction ahead of schedule at Space Systems/Loral and was shipped to us here,
in French Guiana, on 24 October. Its journey began when it was installed in the Centaurus environmentally-controlled shipping container at SS/L’s high bay in Palo Alto, CA, and trucked to the nearby airfield at Moffet Field, where it was loaded onto an Antonov An-124. From there, the spacecraft, handling dolly and all the necessary test racks and mechanical support equipment were loaded for the flight to South America.A 21st Century Facility in the Middle of a Jungle
Twelve hours later, the plane landed at Rochambeau airport near Cayenne, the capital of French Guiana, where the Cantaurus container was unloaded and trucked about 50 miles to the processing facility at the launch base, the Centre Spatial Guyanais(CSG), near Kourou. This facility is where Arianespace launches its Ariane 5 rockets.
As we drove to CSG, we were surrounded by dense jungle on both sides and, regardless of how many time we visit this spaceport, it is impressive to see how the jungle has been tamed to make way for the hi-tech
launch facilities here. At the entrance to the base, there is a large, open-framed, steel globe that always is a welcomed site. Our colleague Jon Harborne, who is the senior manager of the IS-17 spacecraft program, is pictured here at the entrance to the CSG launch base. Around the globe you can see the various flags flying, representing the member states of the European Space Agency. In the background you can see a full-scale model of an Ariane 5 rocket, and the Jupiter control center, which also houses the CSG Space Museum.
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