Arianespace Lofts Two LATAM-Focused Satellites

Arianespace’s Ariane 5 carrying Intelsat 30 with DirecTV’s DL1 A payload and ARsat . Photo: Arianespace

[Via Satellite 10-17-2014] Arianespace conducted the 62nd successful Ariane 5 launch on the night of Oct. 16, carrying the Intelsat 30 satellite with DirecTV’s DL1 A payload and the Empresa Argentina de Soluciones Satelitales Sociedad Anonima’s (ARSAT’s) ARsat 1. Both satellites bring new capacity to Latin American markets.

Intelsat 30, built by SSL, carries C- and Ku-band payloads. DirecTV owns the Ku-band payload, which the company plans to use for DirecTV Latin America. Intelsat will use the C-band payload to bolster existing services across the continent. ARsat 1, built by INVAP, is one of three Argentinian satellites planned to provide voice, data, broadband and television broadcasts.

Intelsat 30 will be collocated at 95 degrees west with Intelsat’s Galaxy 3C satellite, while ARsat 1 will be located at the 71.8 degrees west orbital location. ARSAT’s next satellite, ARsat 2, is slated to launch in 2015, as is Intelsat’s Intelsat 31.