Third successful 2020 mission for Ariane 5

During the night of the 15th of August the third successful launch of Ariane 5 took place from the French Guiana Space Center (CSG). The European launcher correctly placed into geo-stationary orbit the telecommunication satellites for B-SAT and Intelsat, plus a servicing payload for Northrop Grumman’s SpaceLogistics LLC.

The BSAT-4b satellite, manufactured by the American company Maxar Technologies,  will be used to transmit ultra-high definition Direct-to-Home (UHD, 4K e 8K) all over Japan, while the Galaxy 30, manufactured by Northrop Grunman, will provide high performance broadcast distribution capabilities in North America for Intelsat. The mission also included the MEV-2 (Mission Extension Vehicle), a highly innovative servicing spacecraft designed to extend satellites’ useful life, manufactured by Northorp Grunman’s subsidiary SpaceLogistics LLC.

Ariane 5 leverages on the thrust of the two strap-on solid-propelled boosters and of the liquid-oxygen Turbopump, both produced in Italy by Avio, leader in space propulsion technologies.

Giulio Ranzo, Avio CEO, stated: ”While waiting for the Vega return to flight in the coming weeks, this Ariane 5 success re-affirms once again the competitiveness of the European Space System and the reliability of our products”.