Arianespace continued Ariane 5's record of success with another heavy-lift mission performed today (Oct. 16) from the Spaceport in French Guiana, which orbited a pair of telecommunications satellites for Latin America: Intelsat 30, which is hosting the DLA-1 payload; and ARSAT-1.
Both spacecraft were deployed into geostationary transfer orbits following their ascent from the Spaceport's ELA-3 launch zone, with Intelsat 30 released nearly 28 minutes after liftoff, and ARSAT-1 separating approximately six minutes later to complete the flight sequence.
ARSAT-1 is the first geostationary satellite built in Argentina. It was produced for ARSAT by the company INVAP, with Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space serving as leading equipment suppliers.
As the first satellite to be launched by Arianespace for ARSAT, ARSAT-1 will operate from an orbital position of 71.8 deg. West and will deliver a wide range of telecommunications, data transmission, telephone and television services across all of Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay.
The Argentinian government's Secretary of Communications, Norberto Berner, hailed Arianespace's mission success as a historic day for the country, which will create opportunities for its citizens by opening up new communications services.