April 14, 2009

Arianespace to launch New Dawn satellite

Share this page

New Dawn Satellite Company Ltd. (“New Dawn”), a joint venture between Intelsat and a South African investor group led by Convergence Partners, has awarded Arianespace the launch contract to deliver the Intelsat New Dawn satellite into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). This new contract is the 6th signed in 2009 by Arianespace with the major satellite operators.

The launch is planned for the end of 2010, using an Ariane 5 or Soyuz launcher from the Guiana Space Center, Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

The Intelsat New Dawn satellite will be the 50th Intelsat satellite orbited by the European launcher. This contract is in addition to the agreement signed by Intelsat and Arianespace in December 2008.

New Dawn will provide critical communications infrastructure to Africa supporting wireless backhaul, broadband, direct-to-home and video applications.

The satellite will weigh about 3,000 kg at launch, and has a design life exceeding 15 years. Built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Intelsat New Dawn will be fitted with 28 C-band and 24 Ku-band 36 MHz transponder units. It will be positioned at 33 degrees East and will deliver new capacity to Africa for voice, wireless backhaul, Internet and media applications.

Commenting on this latest contract, Arianespace Chairman and CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall said: “We are particularly proud of this opportunity to once again serve the world’s leading satellite operator, in the form of this exciting New Dawn joint venture. For more than 30 years now, Arianespace and Intelsat have built up an extremely close, privileged relationship. This new contract, the 6th signed in 2009, is clear recognition of the quality and competiveness of our launch Service and Solutions offer.”

“Intelsat has had a long-term relationship with Arianespace. The Intelsat New Dawn satellite will be an integral part of our global, resilient satellite network, providing growth capacity and allowing us to further expand our services in Africa,” said Ken Lee, Intelsat’s senior vice president, space systems. “We look forward to working with Arianespace in the years to come as we introduce new spacecraft, optimized to deliver critical transmission services for our video, voice, network services and government customers.”

About Intelsat

Intelsat is the leading provider of fixed satellite services worldwide. For more than 40 years, Intelsat has been delivering information and entertainment for many of the world’s leading media and network companies, multinational corporations, Internet service providers and governmental agencies. Intelsat’s satellite, teleport and fiber infrastructure is unmatched in the industry, setting the standard for transmissions of video, data and voice services. From the globalization of content and the proliferation of HD, to the expansion of cellular networks and broadband access, with Intelsat, advanced communications anywhere in the world are closer, by far.

About Convergence Partners

Convergence Partners is a South African-based investment company focused on the telecommunications, media and technology (TMT) sector, predominantly in Africa and the Middle East. Convergence Partners’ investment philosophy is to take meaningful equity stakes in quality projects and businesses within its chosen sector and act as an active, strategic value-adding investor. As a major part of its strategy, Convergence Partners focuses on greenfields projects that improve access to communications, broadband services and technology offerings throughout Africa and thereby contribute to enhanced standards of living.

About Arianespace

Arianespace is the world’s leading launch Service & Solutions company, delivering innovative offer to its customers since 1980. Backed by its 23 shareholders and the European Space Agency, Arianespace proposes an unrivalled launcher family, comprising Ariane 5, Soyuz and Vega, and an international workforce renowned for their culture of commitment and excellence. As of 01 April 2009, Arianespace had launched a total of 267 payloads, including more than half of all the commercial satellites now in service worldwide. It has a backlog of more than 20 Ariane 5 and 10 Soyuz launches, equal to 3 years of business.

Le satellite New Dawn sera lancé par Arianespace
PDF / 37 KB

You may be interested in

Vega C April 30, 2024

SMILE WILL EMBARK ON A VEGA C LAUNCHER FOR ESA

Vega C will launch the SMILE (Solar-wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) mission for the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). SMILE is designed to study the Earth’s magnetic environment, specifically its interaction with solar wind, and will contribute significantly to our understanding of space weather and solar storms. So that observations can begin during the peak of the 11-year cycle of solar activity, the optimum launch window for the SMILE mission is around the end of 2025. Arianespace signed a launch contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) for the deployment of the SMILE (Solar-wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) mission, a joint ESA-Science and Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) initiative that aims to better understand our solar system. SMILE will observe Earth’s magnetic environment, the magnetosphere, on a global scale, and its interaction with the solar wind. To maximize its scientific contribution, SMILE requires a launch close to the peak of solar activity during the Sun’s 11-year cycle. Stéphane Israël, CEO of Arianespace, said: "This signature marks over four years of collaborative efforts between Arianespace and ESA Science teams to develop the SMILE mission with a Vega C launcher. While many spacecraft already observe the Sun and its effect on the Earth's environment, this is the first time a mission will be able to view the full Sun-Earth connection. We are thrilled to contribute to this new step in better understanding space weather, in a context where we need to protect our space-based technology and ensure human safety." “Today marks a major milestone for our innovative SMILE mission and signals the determination of all our teams and partners to deliver a successful mission on schedule for maximum scientific benefit,” declared Prof. Carole Mundell, ESA Director of Science. “We are delighted to be launching SMILE on such a versatile launch vehicle. Vega C has been selected as it perfectly matches the needs of the mission, such as required mass capability and injection orbit,” said David Agnolon, ESA SMILE Project Manager. SMILE was selected from a pool of 13 potential missions that were proposed to the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in response to a joint call for mission concepts in 2015. After the joint ESA-China National Space Administration Double Star mission in the 1990s, SMILE marks the first time that ESA and China have selected, designed, implemented, launched, and operated a space mission together. ESA is responsible for the payload module, the launch vehicle, one of the scientific instruments and part of the science operations. The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) is responsible for three scientific instruments, the platform, and the mission and science operations. The agreement will see the SMILE spacecraft launched by the European light-lift Vega C from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, currently expected for late 2025. The exact launch period will be defined by taking into account SMILE’s scientific objectives as well as the evolution of the Vega C manifest. Vega C is an ESA program carried out in cooperation between public institutions and private industry across 12 European partner states. Avio S.p.A (Colleferro, Italy) is the prime contractor responsible for the development and production of the launch system and delivering a “ready-to-fly” vehicle to Arianespace at Europe’s Spaceport. Arianespace is the operator and the exclusive launch service provider of Vega C up to the moment this mandate is transferred to Avio under the implementation of the Resolution adopted by ESA in Seville on 6 and 7 November 2023.
Read more

Ariane 6 April 29, 2024

ARIANESPACE TO LAUNCH THE FIRST FOUR SECOND-GENERATION SATELLITES FOR GALILEO ON ARIANE 6

The European Commission and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) to entrust Arianespace with the launch of the first four second-generation satellites for the Galileo constellation on-board two Ariane 6. For Arianespace these will be the 15th and 16th launches specifically for Galileo. They supplement the three missions already on the books, to complete the deployment of the first-generation satellites. Since 2011, Arianespace has launched 28 Galileo satellites from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The European Commission and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) will entrust Arianespace with the launch of four new satellites for the Galileo navigation constellation. This order brings to five the total number of launches scheduled on-board Ariane 6 for Europe’s ultra-high performance Galileo satellite navigation system: the last three launches of pairs of first-generation satellites (L14-L15-L16) and the first two pairs of the second generation (L17-L18). These two additional launches are scheduled in 2026 and 2027 and will carry the first four second-generation Galileo satellites in pairs. Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space are each building six satellites, which together will form the first second-generation fleet. The satellites, each weighing about 2,000 kg and equipped with electrical propulsion, will then reach the Galileo constellation’s operational orbit (at an altitude of 23,222 km). As the first joint infrastructure produced and financed by the European Union, which is also the owner, the European Commission has overall responsibility for the programme. It contains innovative technologies developed by Europe for the citizens of the entire world. Galileo's design and system evolution, along with the technical development of its infrastructure, are entrusted to ESA. The European Commission has delegated the operational management of the Galileo programme to the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), which is responsible for the deployment, maintenance and minor evolutions of the Galileo system. EUSPA also ensures that Galileo services are delivered with the defined performance and without interruption.” “I would like to thank the European Commission and EUSPA for once again demonstrating their trust in Arianespace for the deployment of their satellite-based global navigation system. Ariane 6 is reaching the final milestones leading up to its first flight this summer, which enables us to envisage resumption of deployment of the Galileo constellation from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana in 2025. In this context, the decision by the European Commission and EUSPA is a strong commitment to Europe’s future heavy launcher. Arianespace reaffirms its commitment to guaranteeing reliable and sovereign access to space for Europe”, said Stéphane Israël, CEO of Arianespace.
Read more

Contact us

Send a comment or question to the Arianespace team using this form:

Contact us

Customise cookies

Preferences for all services

Strictly necessary

Necessary for the website to properly function and cannot be switched off in our system. These cookies are crucial for the basic functions of the website and the website will not work in its intended way without them. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

Performance

Allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Without these cookies, we will not be able to gather accurate data in order to identify improvements needed to be done on the website that will enhance your experience.

Functional

Enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. These cookies support site functionality that is visible or advantageous to your personal experience of the website. Videos will not be available without accepting these cookies.

ID user:
ighc8gbj17vlslvbtvr1hge8iv

Token:
16b19529be24a2bb43cf974520c22510dd551bac54049cb1e2af3dbaf825110ef035d0f532a7126bda82b1f3bbcedf5b43beda89b9adbeb82add29f0e3c63b32e78dcff985023703eedae0b5212d