Ariane 5 to launch 2 satellites to geostationary transfer orbit

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Ariane 5 to launch 2 satellites to geostationary transfer orbit

Ariane 5 to launch 2 satellites to geostationary transfer orbit:

Intelsat37e is one of two satellites an Ariane 5 will send into orbit for the mission designated VA239. Image Credit: Arianespace

For the fifth time in 2017, Arianespace will send an Ariane 5 rocket into space. The flight will orbit commercial communication satellites for two international customers: Intelsat and Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation (B-SAT), a leading broadcasting satellite operator in Japan.

The Intelsat 37e satellite will support Africa, Europe, Central Africa, and Latin America, while BSAT-4a will provide Direct-to-Home (DTH) television service in Japan.

Improving satcom capabilities

Stationed in geosynchronous orbit at 342° E longitude, Intelsat 37e will be situated over the mid-Atlantic. Weighing in at a hefty 14,193 pounds (6,438 kilograms), the satellite is the fifth of Intelsat’s EpicNG series of high-throughput satellites built by Boeing.

Intelsat 37e includes fixed C-band, and steerable spot Ku-band and Ka-band beams, which allows the spacecraft to optimize its services to meet the requirements of its regional customers. It is the first satellite to offer interconnectivity between three different bands. Additionally, the next-generation satellite will be used in wireless backhaul, enterprise Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT), and mobility networks.

The satellite Intelsat 37e is replacing, Intelsat 901, was launched in 2001 and has exceeded its estimated 13-year service life.

BSAT-4a is Arianespace’s ninth launch for B-SAT and its 30th launch contract for a geostationary commercial satellite in Japan. The 7,760-pound (3,520-kilogram) satellite, which will be stationed over the equator at 110° E, carries 24 Ku-band transponders. It will expand the availability of high-definition and 4K/8K ultra-high-definition television in that country. The spacecraft bus is based on SSL‘s SSL 1300 platform.

Both satellites are designed to provide service for 15 years or longer.

Ready to go

On Sept. 1, 2017, the Ariane 5 ECA flight, designated VA239 by Arianespace, was cleared for launch. The rocket will roll out from the Guiana Space Centre’s Final Assembly Building in Kourou, French Guiana Sept. 4 to the ELA-3 launch zone.

Liftoff will occur Sept. 5, with a 33-minute launch window opening at 6:51 p.m. local time in French Guiana (5:51 p.m. EDT / 21:51 GMT). After achieving an initial orbit, Intelsat 37e, as the top payload “passenger”, will be deployed first, followed by BSAT-4a.

BSAT-4a is one of two satellites an Ariane 5 will send into orbit for the mission designated VA239. Image Credit: Arianespace

The post Ariane 5 to launch 2 satellites to geostationary transfer orbit appeared first on SpaceFlight Insider.

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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the United States government agency responsible for the civilian space program as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958 with a distinctly civilian (rather than military) orientation encouraging peaceful applications in space science. The National Aeronautics and Space Act was passed on July 29, 1958, disestablishing NASA's predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). The new agency became operational on October 1, 1958.

UFO SIGHTINGS PHOTO PHOTOGRAPHY

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a UFO as "An unidentified flying object; a 'flying saucer'." The first published book to use the word was authored by Donald E. Keyhoe. The acronym "UFO" was coined by Captain Edward J. Ruppelt, who headed Project Blue Book, then the USAF's official investigation of UFOs. He wrote, "Obviously the term 'flying saucer' is misleading when applied to objects of every conceivable shape and performance. For this reason the military prefers the more general, if less colorful, name: unidentified flying objects. UFO (pronounced Yoo-foe) for short." Other phrases that were used officially and that predate the UFO acronym include "flying flapjack", "flying disc", "unexplained flying discs", "unidentifiable object", and "flying saucer". The phrase "flying saucer" had gained widespread attention after the summer of 1947. On June 24, a civilian pilot named Kenneth Arnold reported seeing nine objects flying in formation near Mount Rainier. Arnold timed the sighting and estimated the speed of discs to be over 1,200 mph (1,931 km/h). At the time, he described the objects' shape as being somewhat disc-like or saucer-like, leading to newspaper accounts of "flying saucers" and "flying discs". In popular usage the term UFO came to be used to refer to claims of alien spacecraft. and because of the public and media ridicule associated with the topic, some investigators prefer to use such terms as unidentified aerial phenomenon (or UAP) or anomalous phenomena, as in the title of the National Aviation Reporting Center on Anomalous Phenomena (NARCAP).

UFO PHOTO PHOTOGRAPHY

UFO - Unidentified Flying Object An unidentified flying object, or UFO, in its most general definition, is any apparent anomaly in the sky that is not identifiable as a known object or phenomenon. Culturally, UFOs are associated with claims of visitation by extraterrestrial life or government-related conspiracy theories, and have become popular subjects in fiction. While UFOs are often later identified, sometimes identification may not be possible owing to the usually low quality of evidence related to UFO sightings (generally anecdotal evidence and eyewitness accounts). Stories of fantastical celestial apparitions have been told since antiquity, but the term "UFO" (or "UFOB") was officially created in 1953 by the United States Air Force (USAF) to serve as a catch-all for all such reports. In its initial definition, the USAF stated that a "UFOB" was "any airborne object which by performance, aerodynamic characteristics, or unusual features, does not conform to any presently known aircraft or missile type, or which cannot be positively identified as a familiar object." Accordingly, the term was initially restricted to that fraction of cases which remained unidentified after investigation, as the USAF was interested in potential national security reasons and/or "technical aspects" (see Air Force Regulation 200-2). During the late 1940s and through the 1950s, UFOs were often referred to popularly as "flying saucers" or "flying discs". The term UFO became more widespread during the 1950s, at first in technical literature, but later in popular use. UFOs garnered considerable interest during the Cold War, an era associated with a heightened concern for national security. Various studies have concluded that the phenomenon does not represent a threat to national security nor does it contain anything worthy of scientific pursuit (e.g., 1951 Flying Saucer Working Party, 1953 CIA Robertson Panel, USAF Project Blue Book, Condon Committee).

Photos of Nature | Nature Photography What is The Universe

Photos of Nature | Nature Photography What is The Universe

Tuesday, September 12, 2017