[12-21-07 – Satellite Today} The RASCOM-QAF1 and Horizons-2 satellites have been launched into orbit, Arianespace confirmed Dec. 21. This was the sixth successful Arianespace mission of the year. Both satellites were launched via an Ariane 5 from Kourou in French Guiana.
    The RASCOM-QAF1 is a pan-African telecoms satellite built by Thales Alenia Space for pan-African operator RASCOMSTAR-QAF. The 3,200-kg. satellite’s 12 Ku-band and eight C-band transponders will provide telecoms, direct TV broadcast and Internet access services during an operating lifetime of 15 years.
    The Horizons-2 satellite was built by Orbital Sciences for the operator Horizons 2 Satellite LLC, a joint venture of Intelsat and JSAT. The satellite will operate from 74°W and will carry a payload of 20 Ku-band transponders. Horizons-2 aims to meet the growing demand for telecoms, HDTV and IP-based content distribution in North America. Its broadcast footprint covers the continental United States, the Caribbean and parts of Canada.