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Largest commercial telecommunications satellite ever
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Photo: Arianespace
Europe’s heavy-lift launcher, Ariane 5, is ready for liftoff with the largest commercial telecommunications satellite ever built, following rollout Tuesday at the Kourou, French Guiana, Spaceport.
The Ariane 5 was transferred to the ELA-3 launch zone, where it now is poised for an afternoon liftoff Wednesday.
Weighing in at nearly 6,910 kilograms (15,230 pounds) for launch, TerreStar-1 is riding as a single passenger on this dedicated Ariane 5 ECA, and will be deployed into geostationary transfer orbit 26 minutes after launch.
TerreStar-1 will operate in the two-gigahertz radio spectrum, and is equipped with an 18-meter (59-foot) deployable reflector and powerful S-Band feed array. Its operator – the American-based TerreStar Networks, Inc. – will utilize the spacecraft to provide voice, data and video communications to satellite/terrestrial mobile devices the size of a typical smart phone.
The satellite was built by Space Systems/Loral in California using the company’s 1300 spacecraft bus design, and will be capable of managing some 500 spot beams. TerreStar-1’s relay services are tailored to provide critical services for government, emergency responders, rural communities and commercial users throughout the United States and Canada.
Once deployed in orbit, the satellite will be positioned at 111 degrees West longitude on the Earth’s equator, where it is expected to have a design lifetime of more than 15 years.
The Ariane 5’s total payload lift performance for Wednesday’s mission is set at 7,055 kg. (15,550 lb.), which includes the mass of its TerreStar-1 payload, plus the associated integration/deployment systems and hardware.
Arianespace’s mission with TerreStar-1 will be the company’s third Ariane 5 flight of 2009, with a total of seven launches planned during the year.
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