Kourou (AFP)
The Ariane 5 rocket is scheduled to launch Friday from Kourou, French Guiana, and put into orbit two telecommunications satellites, TIBA-1 for the Egyptian government, and GX5 for the British operator Inmarsat.
This shot will be the 250th Ariane flight, which flew for the first time forty years ago, December 24, 1979, said Arianespace in a statement. It will also be the fourth mission of the European heavy launcher Ariane 5 of 2019 from the Guiana Space Center (CSG).
The takeoff is scheduled in a launch window between 18H08 and 19H43, Kourou time (21H08 to 22H43 GMT). The mission should last about 34 minutes.
TIBA-1, which will be placed in geostationary orbit (36,000 km from Earth), will be the fourth satellite to be launched by Arianespace on behalf of Egypt. This civil and government telecommunications satellite, weighing 5,600 kg at launch, is developed by Thales Alenia Space and Airbus Defense and Space. Its lifespan is estimated at more than 15 years.
GX5 (4.007 kg) is a mobile telecommunications satellite built by Thales Alenia Space for Inmarsat. It "will provide more capacity than the entire GX fleet already in orbit and will enable the rapid increase in the demand for services from its customers in Europe and the Middle East, especially for Wi-Fi connections on commercial flights and for commercial maritime services ", explains CNES, the French space agency. Estimated life: over 16 years.
© 2019 AFP