Arianespace orbited a pair of commercial relay satellites for direct television broadcasting services tonight on Ariane 5’s fourth heavy-lift mission of 2011.
During a 38-minute flight from the Spaceport in French Guiana, this workhorse vehicle lofted the ASTRA 1N and BSAT-3c/JCSAT-110R spacecraft, delivering an estimated payload lift performance to geostationary transfer orbit of 9,095 kg. – which included a combined mass of 8,240 kg. for the two satellites, along with the launcher’s dual-payload dispenser system and associated integration hardware.