Artistic rendition of the EUTELSAT 25B/Es'hail 1 satellite, courtesy of SSL.

The satellite deployed its solar arrays on schedule following its launch aboard an Ariane 5 launch vehicle provided by Arianespace from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The satellite fired its apogee engine and maneuvered into geosynchronous orbit.

“It takes more than a million man hours of dedication and hard work to build a complex satellite such as EUTELSAT 25B/ Es’hail 1,” said John Celli, President of SSL. “It is always inspiring to see the product of this effort launched and performing on orbit. I’d like to offer my congratulations to Eutelsat and Es’hailSat on the realization of their vision for a new satellite to serve the Middle East and North Africa.”

Based on the SSL 1300 platform, the satellite is designed to provide television broadcasting, telecommunications and government services in the Middle East and North Africa via a Ku-band payload. In addition, it has Ka-band capability to open business opportunities for both organizations.

“We are very pleased to see EUTELSAT 25B/Es’hail 1 performing its maneuvers as planned," said Michel de Rosen, CEO of Eutelsat. “The satellite will help us meet the growing demand for capacity in regions experiencing dynamic growth of digital services.”

“It has been a very exciting experience to see our first satellite successfully launched,” said Ali Ahmed Al-Kuwari, CEO of Es’hailSat. “I would like to thank all of our colleagues who have worked together to make this satellite a success.”

The satellite will provide service from 25.5 degrees East longitude and is designed to provide service for 15 years or more.

Original launch information:
Ariane 5 Launches Two + Doubles The Results With Eutelsat 25B/Es’hail 1 + ISRO’s GSAT-7 (Launch)

[SatNews] This was the rocket’s 57th launch in a row since December 2002.

This evening, an Ariane 5 launcher lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on its mission to place two communications satellites, Eutelsat 25B/Es’hail 1 and GSAT-7, into their planned geostationary transfer orbits.

Ariane 5’s success with EUTELSAT 25B/Es’hail 1 and GSAT-7 was the launcher’s 71th flight from French Guiana.

Liftoff of flight VA215 occurred at 20:30 GMT (22:30 CET; 17:30 French Guiana) at the opening of the launch window. The target injection orbit had a perigee altitude of 249 km, an apogee altitude of 35 929 km with an inclination of 3.5 degrees relative to the equator.

Eutelsat-25B/Es’hail 1 and GSAT-7 were accurately injected into their transfer orbits approximately 27 and 34 minutes after launch, respectively.

Eutelsat-25B/Es’hail 1 was the upper payload with an estimated liftoff mass of 6300 kg. Operating at an orbital position of 25.5 degrees E, it will assist European telecommunications operator Eutelsat and Es’hailSat, the Qatar Satellite Company, in providing direct-broadcast services covering the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. This will include video broadcasting, telecommunications and government services.

Equipped with four steerable spot beam antennas and four deployable reflectors, along with advanced command and telemetry capabilities, Eutelsat-25B/Es’hail 1 follows on from the current Eutelsat-25C satellite to provide Ku-band range communications, while its Ka-band capability widens business opportunities for both operators.

The Indian Space Research Organisation’s GSAT-7 was the lower payload with an estimated liftoff mass of 2650 kg. It will provide multiband telecommunications over India from an orbital position of 74 degrees E.

Flight VA215 was Ariane 5’s 57th successful launch in a row since December 2002.