ESA Ariena-5 Mission: IntelSat-17 and HYLAS-1 satellites

The fifth Ariane 5 mission of 2010 was given the go-ahead today for its November 26 liftoff with Arianespace’s dual payload of the Intelsat 17 and HYLAS 1 satellites.

This authorisation followed the completion of today’s launch readiness review, which validates to “go” status of the heavy-lift Ariane 5, its two spacecraft passengers, the launch infrastructure at the Spaceport in French Guiana, and the network of down-range tracking stations.

With the successful review, Ariane 5 is cleared for tomorrow’s rollout from the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building to the ELA-3 launch zone, where it will be readied for liftoff on Friday during an early launch window that opens at 3:39 p.m. local time in French Guiana and continues to 6:54 p.m.

For this 198th mission of an Ariane family launcher – and the 54th flight for Ariane 5 – the launch vehicle will deliver an estimated 8,870 kg. total payload, of which approximately 8,070 kg. is the combined mass of Intelsat 17 and HYLAS 1, with the remaining weight represented by the SYLDA dispenser system and integration hardware.

During the 49 min. flight, Intelsat 17 will be released first, followed by HYLAS 1. 

Intelsat 17 will provide telecommunications coverage over Europe, Africa, the Middle East and India for Intelsat – the leading provider of fixed satellite services worldwide. HYLAS 1 is the first broadband services platform for Avanti Communications, and will offer two-way data services across Europe.