* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: Galaxy-17 satellite

Blobrana · L

Liftoff of the Galaxy 17 satellite aboard an Ariane 5 rocket is still set for 22:29 GMT (6:29 p.m. EDT) from Kourou, French Guiana. The launch window is 44 minutes.

Blobrana · L

The launch readiness review (RAL) took place in Kourou on Monday, April 30, 2007 and authorised count-down operations for the ASTRA 1L & GALAXY 17 launch.
For its second launch of the year Arianespace will boost two communications satellites into orbit: Astra 1L for the Luxembourg-based operator SES Astra, and Galaxy 17 for the international operator Intelsat. Through proven reliability and availability, Arianespace and Ariane continue to set the launch service standard for the worlds leading space communications operators. It will be launched from the Ariane launch complex N° 3 (ELA3), in Kourou, French Guiana.

THE ARIANE 5 "ECA" LAUNCHER LIFT-OFF for this flight is scheduled during the night of May 3 to 4, 2007 as soon as possible within the following launch window:

GMT: Between 10:29 pm and 11:13 pm on 3 May, 2007.
PARIS: Between 12:29am and 01:13am on 4 May, 2007.
WASHINGTON: Between 06:29pm and 07:13pm on 3 May, 2007.
KOUROU: Between 07:29pm and 08:13pm on 3 May, 2007.

Blobrana · L

Initial processing of the dual-satellite payload for Arianespace's next Ariane 5 mission has been completed with the fuelling of Galaxy 17 at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.
Galaxy 17 was "topped off" in the S5B integration/fuelling high-bay, which is one of three main halls that comprise the Spaceport's state-of-the-art S5 payload preparation facility.
The Galaxy 17 satellite is equipped with 24 C-band and 24 Ku-band transponders, and will provide telecommunications and television coverage over North America for Intelsat - the largest provider of fixed satellite services worldwide. It is the 50th geostationary communications satellite based on Alcatel Alenia Space's Spacebus platform, and will weigh approximately 4 metric tons at launch.
For the upcoming Arianespace launch - scheduled in the evening hours of May 3 - Galaxy 17 will be riding in the lower passenger position on Ariane 5, with the ASTRA 1L satellite as the upper payload. ASTRA 1L was fuelled earlier this month in the S5 facility, and is ready for the start of its integration with Ariane 5 launcher hardware.

Source Arianespace Press release