Apr 9 2003
From The Space Library
A European Ariane 5 rocket launched two satellites into orbit from Kourou, French Guiana~ PanAmSat's Galaxy 12 commercial telecommunications satellite and the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO's) INSAT 3A satellite. The Ariane 5G standard version was the first launch of an Ariane rocket since the enhanced Ariane 5 ECA had failed in December 2002, a failure that had prompted a complete review of the Ariane 5 system, particularly its main-stage cryogenic engine. The 1.8-tonne (2-ton, 1,800-kilogram, or 3,968-pound) Galaxy satellite built by Orbital Sciences Corporation carried 24 C-band transponders to provide voice, video, and data transmissions to North America and South America from its position at longitude 72º west. The 3-tonne (3.3-ton, 3,000-kilogram, or 6,614-pound) INSAT 3A geostationary communications and weather-monitoring satellite carried 12 C-band, 6 extended C-band, and 6 Ku-band transponders, to provide voice, video and data transmission to western Asia, eastern Asia, and India from its position at longitude 93.5º east. The ISRO satellite carried the typical INSAT package of visual, infrared, and water-vapor band sensors to monitor clouds and storms, as well as a separate transponder for an international search-and-rescue program. (Spacewarn Bulletin, no. 594; Peter B. de Selding, “Ariane 5 Successfully Returns to Flight,” Space News, 11 April 2003.
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