Arianespace’s VA227 Ariane 5 mission. Photo: Arianespace

[Via Satellite 11-12-2015] Arianespace successfully launched satellites for customers Arabsat and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on Nov. 10 aboard an Arian 5 rocket. The mission carried Arabsat 6B, which will be renamed BADR 7 for Saudi Arabia-based Arabsat, and GSAT 15 for ISRO.

Airbus Defence and Space built Arabsat 6B with partner Thales Alenia Space. The spacecraft had a mass of 5,798 kg at liftoff, and will provide broadcast, broadband and telecommunications services over the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia regions. Airbus Defence and Space supplied its Eurostar E3000 platform and handled satellite integration, while Thales Alenia Space supplied the telecommunications relay payload.

The ISRO-built GSAT 15 had a mass of approximately 3,160 kg and is designed to provide telecommunications services, as well as dedicated navigation-aid and emergency services, across India. At the Kourou Spaceport, ISRO also announced a new launch contract with Arianespace to launch India’s GSAT 17 and GSAT 18 telecommunications satellites on Ariane 5 flights from French Guiana in 2016 and 2017. The two satellites are replacements for currently operational relay platforms that provide key national services in multiple frequency bands, and will weigh approximately 3,400 kg each.