The HISPASAT Group’s Amazonas 4A satellite was successfully taken, by a Boeing 747 airplane, to the European Space Agency’s launch site in Kourou, French Guiana. The move came after all tests were carried out satisfactorily and the manufacturing process at the Orbital Sciences Corporation’s facilities in Dulles (Virginia) was completed. Final tests will be conducted in Kourou before the satellite is launched aboard a rocket, tentatively on 7 March.

The Amazonas 4A will be the 11th satellite put into orbit by the HISPASAT Group. It will be launched by Arianespace aboard an Ariane 5 ECA rocket. The satellite has a launch mass of 3 tonnes approximately, is 23 metres wide and 4.7 metres tall. It features 24 Ku-band transponders, two deployable reflectors and 3-axis attitude control, ensuring high precision in positioning.

From its 61o West orbital position, Amazonas 4A will expand the range of audiovisual services available in Latin America.