[Satellite Today 07-18-08] SES Americom’s AMC-21 satellite, the second of two spacecraft for Ariane 5’s next flight, has arrived in Kourou, French Guiana, Arianespace announced July 17.
    AMC-21, based on an Orbital Sciences Star-2 platform and manufactured by Thales Alenia Space, will carry 24 Ku-band transponders and provide coverage of the United States and the Caribbean. The spacecraft had been scheduled to be placed into orbit by Sea Launch’s Land Launch rocket, but SES Americom switched the satellite to A            Arianespace following the January 2007 failure of a Sea Launch rocket carrying the SES New Skies NSS-8 satellite.
    The mission, scheduled for the first half of August, also will carry the Superbird 7 satellite for Mitsubishi Electric.