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AMC-18 is
unloaded from the AN-124 airlifter at Rochambeau International
Airport near the capital city of Cayenne.
(Arianespace photo) |
KOUROU, French Guiana, Nov. 7, 2006/Satnews
Daily/ ― The first payload for Arianespace's final Ariane 5 flight
of 2006 has arrived at the Spaceport in French Guiana starting a new
phase of launch campaign preparations for this December heavy-lift
mission.
SES Americom’s AMC-18 telecommunications satellite
landed at Cayenne's Rochambeau International Airport aboard an Antonov
AN-124 cargo jetliner, and was then transferred to the launch site for
its initial checkout.
AMC-18 was built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Satellite Systems, and
carries a payload of 24 C-band transponders to distribute cable
television services to the 50 United States, Mexico and the Caribbean.
This platform will expand SES Americom’s fleet of satellites that
provide the distribution of cable, broadcast television and radio,
telecommunications services, business television and broadband data
throughout the Americas and transoceanic regions.
AMC-18 will be orbited by Ariane 5 along with the WildBlue-1 satellite,
which is to expand WildBlue's satellite broadband connectivity delivered
to homes and small businesses across the United States.
The December Ariane 5 mission will be Arianespace's fifth heavy-lift
flight of 2006. All four previous launches were highly successful, with
the Ariane 5 placing a total of eight satellite payloads into highly
accurate geostationary transfer orbits.
Recent Stories:
Arianespace’s Launch Vehicle Completes
Initial Integration
Arianespace’s Ariane 5's Cryogenic Upper Stage is Integrated on the
Launch Vehicle
Arianespace Begins Assembly for Launch of
WildBlue-1, AMC-18 Satellites
Arianespace Rolls Out its Fourth Ariane 5 Mission of 2006
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