Arianespace is keeping up the mission pace for its workhorse Ariane 5, with the upcoming flight cleared for liftoff this Friday, and another being prepared for next month.
The launch readiness review for May 30's dual-payload mission was conducted today (May 28), clearing the way for Ariane 5's transfer to the launch zone at the Spaceport in French Guiana tomorrow.
This flight will orbit the Skynet 5C and Turksat 3A payloads, and is the third of seven Ariane 5 launches targeted for 2008 – the busiest year of activity since the vehicle's commercial introduction in 1999.
Skynet 5C is a secure military telecommunications satellite for the U.K.'s Paradium, and will deliver resilient, survivable and secure communications to military and government users.
Turksat 3A will be used by Ankara-based Turksat for telecommunication services and direct TV broadcasting over Turkey, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia.
In separate activity, both satellites for the following Ariane 5 mission have now been delivered to French Guiana with the arrival this week of ProtoStar I and BADR-6 at the Spaceport. The Ariane 5 launch with these two payloads is set for late June.
ProtoStar I is the first in a fleet of satellites that Asian satellite services ProtoStar plans to launch for advanced satellite television services and powerful two-way broadband communications access.
BADR-6 will be used by Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-based satellite operator Arabsat to provide video broadcasting services for the Middle East and North Africa region.
