Astrium successfully delivers Arabsat-5C satellite in orbit

The Arabsat-5C satellite built by Astrium and Thales Alenia Space has been handed over to ARABSAT as part of the in-orbit delivery contract

Arabsat-5C is the third Eurostar E3000 satellite to enter commercial service in less than a week

Arabsat-5C is the 6th Eurostar satellite delivered to ARABSAT

The Arabsat-5C satellite has been handed over to ARABSAT by Astrium as part of the in-orbit delivery contract. In less than a week, Arabsat-5C is the third satellite based on the highly reliable Astrium’s Eurostar E3000 platform to enter commercial service

After the successful completion of in-orbit testing to ensure that all spacecraft functions were performing as expected, the Arabsat-5C satellite, launched by Ariane 5 on 21 September 2011, was officially transferred to ARABSAT on 26 October at the designated orbital location.

The Launch and Early Orbit Phases (LEOP) were conducted from the Astrium spacecraft control centre in Toulouse, and the In-Orbit Testing from the ARABSAT main control centre in Riyadh supported by the ARABSAT control centre in Tunis.

Astrium and Thales Alenia Space (TAS) were co-prime contractors for the satellite’s construction and delivery in orbit. Astrium, the team leader, supplied the Eurostar E3000 platform and assembled and tested the spacecraft. TAS supplied the communications payload.

This in-orbit delivery follows Arabsat-5A and 5B satellites, successfully delivered in orbit in 2010, and completes ARABSAT’s fleet of 5th generation satellites, all now in commercial operation. Arabsat-5C is the 6th Eurostar satellite delivered to ARABSAT.

Arabsat-5C is a multi-mission satellite which provides satellite capacity in both C-band and Ka-band frequencies at the ARABSAT position 20°E, for a wide range of satellite communications services over a coverage area including the whole of Africa and the Middle-East.

The Arabsat-5C satellite is based on Astrium’s highly reliable Eurostar E3000 product line, with a launch mass of 4770 kg and a spacecraft power of 10 kW at the end of its 15 year design lifetime.


About Astrium

Astrium is the number one company in Europe and the third in the world for space technologies. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, dedicated to providing civil and defence space systems and services.

In 2010, Astrium had a turnover of €5 billion and more than 15,000 employees worldwide, mainly in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands. Its three main areas of activity are Astrium Space Transportation for launchers and orbital infrastructure, Astrium Satellites for spacecraft and ground segment, and Astrium Services for comprehensive end-to-end solutions covering secure and commercial satcoms and networks, high security satellite communications equipment, bespoke geo-information and navigation services worldwide.

EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2010, the Group – comprising Airbus, Astrium, Cassidian and Eurocopter – generated revenues of € 45.8 billion and employed a workforce of nearly 122,000.


Source: Paris, 27 October 2011 - http://www.eads.com

Photo: Ariane 5 clears the launch tower with the payload of Arabsat-5C & SES-2 satellite (September 21, 2011 - http://www.arianespace.com)

(27.10.2011)