Hylas 2 was launched Aug. 3 aboard an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana. Orbital Sciences said its own engineers worked with Avanti engineers since the launch to conduct several weeks of orbit raising and testing operations to prepare the spacecraft for commercial service.

   Post-launch activities included the successful completion of a comprehensive set of tests to verify the performance of the satellites various subsystems such as propulsion, data handling, electrical, attitude control, thermal, flight software and telemetry. The satellite’s three reflectors were successfully deployed, including two east-and-west reflectors, and the nadir reflector, as well as the two solar arrays that provide the satellite’s electrical power.

   “This is the most complex satellite we have ever built," Orbital Sciences Space Systems Group Senior Vice President Christopher Richmond said in a statement. “The satellite is functioning as it should, and we have turned over full operational control to Avanti.”

   Hylas 2 carries 24 active Ka-band user beams and six gateway beams to provide data and video services to Northern and Southern Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East and across the Caucuses.