January 31, 2019

Next Ariane 5 mission - Launch of Saudi Geostationary Satellite 1/Hellas Sat 4 and GSAT-31

Tuesday 5 February, Ariane 5 will be sent aloft from the Guiana Space Centre (CSG), Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, carrying Saudi Geostationary Satellite 1/Hellas Sat 4, a condosat for operators KACST (King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia) and Hellas Sat (Greece - Cyprus), and GSAT-31 for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The launch will mark Ariane 5’s 103rd flight, the 70th with the ECA variant, its first in 2019 and the first of the year from the CSG.

With a launch mass of 6,495 kilograms, Saudi Geostationary Satellite 1/Hellas Sat 4 is a telecommunications satellite designed and built by Lockheed Martin Space. It will provide telecommunications capabilities including television, Internet, telephone and secure communications in the Middle East, South Africa and Europe. The satellite has an expected lifetime of more than 15 years, which could be extended to 23 years.

With a launch mass of 2,536 kilograms, GSAT-31 is a telecommunications satellite designed and built by ISRO. It aims to help bridge the digital divide in the Indian subcontinent by offering significant advantages to users. The satellite has an expected lifetime of more than 15 years.

The Ariane launch will be carried live on :
https://ariane5.cnes.fr/en/live

Check out the photos of the VA247 flight campaign at the Guiana Space Centre at :
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cnes/albums

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CONTACTS
Pascale Bresson    Press Officer    Tel: +33 (0)1 44 76 75 39    pascale.bresson@cnes.fr
Raphaël Sart    Press Officer    Tel: +33 (0)1 44 76 74 51    raphael.sart@cnes.fr
Sébastien Martignac    Press Officer    Tel. +33 (0)1 44 76 78 35    sebastien.martignac@cnes.fr

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