Ariane 5 on the launch pad. Photo Credit: ESA

Arianespace has announced the delay of flight VA243 tasked to carry the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) GSAT-11 satellite into orbit. The delay is caused by additional technical checks needed for the satellite, according to the company. The Ariane 5 launch initially planned for May 25, will be conducted from the ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) located at Bangalore. Arianespace did not provide a new date for VA243.

GSAT-11 was designed, assembled and integrated by ISRO, and will have an estimated liftoff mass of 5,870 kg. This advanced communications satellite is to provide multi-spot beam coverage over the Indian mainland and nearby islands, bringing significant advantages to the user community when compared with India’s existing INSAT/GSAT satellite systems. GSAT-11 will generate a capacity of more than 12 Gbps for users from a single platform, according to Arianespace.

The next Arianespace launch will be VA244 in July 2018. An Ariane 5 ES launch vehicle will orbit four more Galileo satellites for the European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA). The launch of the Azerspace-2/Intelsat-38 satellite for Azercosmos and Intelsat has been rescheduled for this summer, following VA244. The planned date and the co-passenger is to still be announced. The rest of the 2018 Arianespace launch manifest remains unchanged.