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The Spaceway F2 satellite is raised
from its shipping container in the S5B clean room at the
Spaceport. (Arianespace/CNES/ESA
photo) |
KOUROU, French Guiana, June 2, 2005/Satnews Daily/ — The two
satellite payloads for Arianespace's next mission are now undergoing
their final checkout as the launch campaign moves ahead for a liftoff of
the increased-lift Ariane 5 ECA vehicle on June 24.
Arianespace said Spaceway F2 for DirecTV Group, Inc. and the Telkom 2
satellite for PT Telkom Indonesia are in the Spaceport's large S5
payload preparation facility at French Guiana, where technicians are
completing pre-launch preparations.
The Spaceway F2 platform is one of a series of Ka-band satellites being
launched by DirecTV in a capacity expansion that will deliver more than
1,500 local and national high definition channels and other advanced
programming services to consumers nationwide in the U.S.
This Boeing 702 spacecraft was produced by Boeing's Satellite
Development Center at the company's satellite manufacturing, integration
and test complex in El Segundo, Calif. With a launch mass of 6,116 kg.,
Spaceway 2 will be one of the heaviest commercial telecommunications
satellites ever launched.
Telkom 2 was built by Orbital Sciences Corp. based on the company's
Star-2 satellite platform, and carries 24 C-band transponders. The
spacecraft will enable PT Telkom to expand its satellite communications
coverage area into the ASEAN region and the Indian subcontinent, in
addition to its services for Indonesia. Telkom 2 will have a launch mass
of 1,975 kg. and a mission life of 15 years.
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