Arianespace flurry of launch orders continues with the announcement that the Ariane 5 launch vehicle has been selected by satelilte operator Intelsat to launch both its Intelsat 34 and the Intelsat 32 spacecraft.
The Intelsat 34 launch contract stipulates that the spacecraft will be launched during the second quarter of 2015. Intelsat 34 is being built by Space Systems/Loral to provide communications services over Latin America and to maritime and aeronautical sector in the Atlantic region. The spacecraft, which is designed to work for at least 15 years, will replace Intelsat 805 and Galaxy 11 over 304.5 degrees East in the Geostationary orbital arc.
In a separate contact, an Ariane 5 launch was contracted to launch the Intelsat 32 (IS-32) in the third quarter 2016. The spacecraft is carrying the SKY-Brasil-1 high definition broadcasting payload. The satellite is being built by Astrium using their Eurostar 3000 bus/platform. The spacecraft is to operate from the 317 degrees East (43 degrees West) position in the Geostationary orbital arc.
