Arianespace has begun the final countdown for today's heavy-lift Ariane 5 mission from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. Activities began with this morning's electrical systems checkout at the Spaceport, and are being followed by fueling of Ariane 5's cryogenic main stage.
This is the second Ariane 5 mission in 2011, and it will orbit a dual-satellite payload for telecommunications operators serving Africa and the Middle East: Yahsat Y1A and Intelsat New Dawn. Liftoff is scheduled during a launch window that opens at 6:45 p.m. local time in French Guiana and continues to 7:52 p.m.
Yahsat Y1A will be deployed first in the flight sequence, with its release scheduled at 27 min. into the mission – followed by Intelsat New Dawn's separation from the launch vehicle approximately 35 minutes after liftoff.
Once in service, the Yahsat Y1A satellite will be utilized by the Al Yah Satellite Communications Company to provide customized relay services for the government and commercial sectors in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Southwest Asia.
Intelsat New Dawn – which is the result of a joint venture with a consortium led by Convergence Partners and Intelsat – will be operated and marketed as a part of the global Intelsat fleet, bringing to 22 the number of Intelsat satellites serving Africa.
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