Arabsat-5C arrives in Kourou ahead of September launch

Arabsat-5C, a fifth-generation satellite for the Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Arabsat), has been delivered to the spaceport in Kourou, French Guyana, ahead of its planned launch on 9 September.
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The satellite was delivered by an Antonov An-124 cargo jetliner, where the spacecraft was unloaded and readied for its transfer by road.

Arabsat-5C is a multi-mission platform designed to provide capacity in both the C- and Ka-bands for a range of communications services from its 20° E geostationary orbital position.
 
With its payload of 26 active transponders in C-band and 12 in Ka-band, Arabsat-5C will have a spacecraft power of 10kW and a 15-year design lifetime.
 
The satellite was built in a joint effort betwwen EADS Astrium and Thales Alenia Space. Astrium supplied the Eurostar E3000 platform and integrated the satellite, while Thales Alenia Space designed and built the communications payload.
 
This team also is upgrading the ground control segment for the extended Arabsat satellite fleet with the series of fifth-generation spacecraft.
 
Arabsat-5C and SES-2 are due to be launched atop an Arianespace Ariane 5 next month.
 
Arabsat's first satellite – Arabsat 1A – was launched in 1985 on an Ariane 3 vehicle. A total of seven Arabsat spacecraft have been lofted to date by Arianespace, including Arabsat-5A, which was orbited by an Ariane 5 in June 2010.