[Satellite TODAY 07-26-13] Inmarsat and Arianespace confirmed the successful launch of ESA’s Alphasat. The satellite was launched on an Ariane 5 ECA launch vehicle – the latest version of the Ariane 5 rocket – from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana at 20:54 BST on July 25.

 

      Arianespace officials confirmed a successful spacecraft separation at 27 minutes 45 seconds after launch. At 21:47 BST, the Alphasat Mission Operations Team confirmed telemetry reception and that they have command of the satellite.

 

      With a $350 million investment from Inmarsat, Alphasat complements the company’s L-band satellite fleet, which has been powering global broadband connectivity for government and commercial customers on land, sea and in the air since 2009.

 

       The Alphasat Mission Operations Team will now complete partial solar array deployment and commence orbit raising on Friday night, to place the satellite into its final geostationary orbit position. This operation is scheduled to be completed on the morning of July 31.