Ariane 44L — mission imagery
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Success

Eutelsat W2 & Sirius 3

Ariane 44LArianespaceAriane Launch Area 2
Monday, October 5, 1998 · 10:51 PM UTCAdd to Calendar

This mission is complete.

Vehicle

Ariane 44L

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The Ariane 6 family is currently under development by the European Space Agency, with two variations including the Ariane 62 with two solid boosters intended for government and scientif...

Height63 m
LEO Payload10,900 kg
Launches356
Successes311

Provider

Arianespace

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FRA • Founded 1980

Arianespace SA is a multinational company founded in 1980 as the world's first commercial launch service provider. It undertakes the production, operation, and marketing of the Ariane programme. Their vehicles...

Mission Brief

The W satellites are designed to provide telecommunications services primarily over Europe (Eutelsat W2, W3 and W5) and communication services over Russia and Africa (W4). W2, W3 and W5 are designed to offer 24 transponders at saturation and W4 is designed to provide 31 transponders at saturation. The W satellites have a minimum operational lifetime of 12 years. The spacecraft are based on the Spacebus-3000B2 platform. Sirius 3 provides direct-to-home television services to the Scandinavian region. Hughes upgraded NSAB's satellite control center at Esrange, Kiruna, and provided training to the satellite controllers. Sirius 3 was successfully launched on an Ariane-44L H10-3 on October 5, 1998. The satellite was built at the Integrated Satellite Factory of in El Segundo, Calif.

PayloadEutelsat W2 & Sirius 3
OrbitGeostationary Orbit
CustomerArianespace
Stages2
PadAriane Launch Area 2, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

Mission Timeline

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Site lock

Launch Site

Ariane Launch Area 2, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

LAUNCH SITE
5.232°N, 52.778°W

Schedule History

No delays or schedule changes recorded.