The Intelsat New Dawn satellite is unloaded from an Antonov An-124 cargo aircraft at Cayenne’s Rochambeau International Airport.
This second payload is for Arianespace's next Ariane 5 mission arrived this week at the Spaceport in French Guiana as preparations continue for the heavy-lift flight planned on March 29th. Built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, the Intelsat New Dawn communications relay platform is to provide voice, wireless backhaul, Internet and media applications services for the joint venture of Intelsat and a South African investor group led by Convergence Partners. Intelsat New Dawn will have a liftoff mass of approximately 3,000 kg., and will be operated and marketed as part of the global Intelsat fleet. It carries 16 Ku-band and 14 C-band transponders and will operate from an orbital position of 32.9 degrees East to cover the Middle East, part of Europe, Africa and sub-Saharan regions. The satellite will be orbited along with its co-passenger, Yahsat 1A, on another of Ariane 5's dual-payload missions.