The two telecommunications satellites for Arianespace’s first Ariane 5 liftoff of 2017 are undergoing checkout at the Spaceport in preparation for a mid-February flight from French Guiana to geostationary transfer orbit.

Riding in the upper position of Ariane 5’s dual-payload dispenser system will be SKY Brasil-1, a satellite for operation by DIRECTV Latin America to expand the delivery of high-definition, 3-D television and cinema programming throughout Brazil.

Telkom-3S will be deployed as the mission’s second passenger from its location in the launch vehicle’s lower payload position, and utilized in orbit by Indonesian service provider Telkom. 

Both spacecraft are undergoing their preparation activity in the Spaceport’s S5 payload processing facility.

-- A busy manifest: up to 12 missions in 2017 --

 February’s mission with Ariane 5 is designated Flight VA235, signifying the 235th launch of an Ariane-series vehicle from French Guiana. It is one of up to 12 missions targeted by Arianespace in 2017 utilizing its heavy-lift Ariane 5, medium-lift Soyuz and lightweight Vega launcher family.

 SKY Brasil-1 was built by Airbus Defence and Space based on the EuroStar 3000 platform, and will have a mass of approximately 6,300 kg. at launch. It is equipped with 81 transponders operating in Ku- and Ka-bands.

 Telkom-3S was produced by Thales Alenia Space utilizing the Spacebus 4000B2 platform, with a liftoff mass of about 3,500 kg.  Outfitted with 24 C-band transponders, eight extended C-band transponders and 10 Ku-band transponders, Telkom-3S will provide coverage over Indonesia and Southeast Asia.