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Arianespace Sets Big Launch Date for 100th Ariane 5 Flight

By Jeffrey Hill | August 20, 2018
Arianespace sets next big Intelsat Launch Date

Azerspace 2/Intelsat 38. Photo: Azerspace

Arianespace has scheduled the launch of the Horizons 3e and Azerspace 2/Intelsat 38 satellites — the 100th flight of its Ariane 5 rocket. Azerspace 2/Intelsat 38, Azerbaijan’s second Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellite, will share a ride with Horizons 3e, a new spacecraft from Intelsat and Sky Perfect JSAT joint venture Horizons Satellite. The satellites will take off from Arianespace’s French Guiana Space Center on Friday, Sept. 7, and ride to orbit on an Ariane 5 Evolution Cryotechnique Type A (ECA) rocket.

Built by SSL, the Azerspace 2/Intelsat 38 satellite will be placed into GEO at 45 degrees East to provide coverage over Europe, Central and South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. It will join Azerbaijan’s first satellite, Azerspace/Africasat 1a, located at GEO at 46 degrees East. Azerspace-1 was built by Orbital Sciences and launched by Arianespace in February 2013.

Horizons-3e, built by Boeing, will serve as the sixth satellite of the Intelsat Epic NG service. Once launched, it will provide coverage over the Pacific Ocean Region from the 169 degrees East orbital slot. Horizons-3e is equipped with a mixed C- and Ku-band payload providing High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) services via small spotbeams.