Sovereignty of Europe: Ariane 5 once again does the job by beating a new record – La Tribune

This is a new record for Ariane 5, which will retire at the end of its next six launches, including the extraordinary one of NASA’s James Webb space telescope scheduled for December 18. For its 111th flight (VA255), Ariane 5, designed by ArianeGroup, performed in very complicated sanitary conditions in Guyana, “the most efficient flight ever implemented by a launcher into geostationary transfer orbit”, according to the European launch operator Arianespace. With two satellites on board with a total mass of 10,264 kg, Ariane 5, which can carry two payloads up to a maximum of 11.2 tonnes, thus achieves a world record for injection into this orbit. “This is the rocket for all records, we have never launched an Ariane 5 so large and so powerful. It is a world record that we are about to make”, was enthusiastic before the launch the CEO of Arianespace, Stéphane Israël on RTL.

” VA255, by putting two highly innovative satellites manufactured by Thales Alenia Space into orbit, once again demonstrates the competitiveness and reliability of our launch solutions serving the ambitions of our private and institutional clients.

For its second mission in 2021, the European heavy launcher placed two satellites built by Thales Alenia Space in orbit: SES-17 (6,411 kg), a telecoms satellite to be operated by the Luxembourg company SES, and Syracuse 4A (3,853 kg) , a military telecoms satellite developed for the French Ministry of the Armed Forces. For this mission, Ariane 5 had to be modified to reach a height of 56.4 meters, thanks to a 1.5 meter extension placed under the long fairing where the satellites are placed for flight.

“We continue to improve the European heavy launcher, and there are now six Ariane 5 launches left before it definitively enters the legend of the most reliable launcher in the world, for the benefit of Ariane 6, which will take over. from 2022 “, underlined the CEO of ArianeGroup, André-Hubert Roussel, quoted Sunday morning in the press release of Arianespace (ArianeGroup group).

Two Thales Alenia Space satellites

The 111th Ariane 5 flight was a flight privatized by Thales Alenia Space satellites: SES-17 and Syracuse 4A are the 164th and 165th satellites produced by the Franco-Italian manufacturer and launched by Arianespace. Commanded by the General Directorate of Armament (DGA), Syracuse 4A will allow the French armed forces to remain permanently connected during their deployments. At sea, in the air or on land, the military need powerful secure means of communication to be able to exchange information with the command center.

Thanks to state-of-the-art equipment (anti-jamming antenna and on-board digital processor), Syracuse 4A will be fully protected against the most extreme means of disruption, including cyber attacks. This satellite in the service of French sovereignty will also support NATO and European operations. Team of electric motors – a first in Europe in military space -, thee satellite, the duration of which life is estimated at 15 years, will be fully qualified in nine months. After seven months to reach its geostationary orbit, it will then undergo a series of tests for two months. It can then accommodate the first links for the benefit of user ground stations and be declared operational.

In addition, SES-17, which will provide coverage of the Americas, the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean, was designed for 15 years. To come to revolutionize in-flight connectivity for aviation users and accelerate digital inclusion initiatives. The power of its 200 or so narrow beams can be dynamically adapted to changes in customer demand. It is also the first satellite in the SES fleet to be equipped with a 100% digital payload, powered by a new generation digital processor (DTP – Digital Transparent Processor), which will offer an unprecedented degree of flexibility and efficiency. efficiency. This SES telecom satellite is one of the largest ever launched by Arianespace.