Nilesat 101 & BSat 1b

Overview

Destination: Geostationary Orbit
Mission: Communications

Geostationary Orbit Ariane Launch Area 2 Kourou, French Guiana

With the launch of Nilesat 101 on 28 April 1998, delivering more than 100 digital TV channels as well as radio and multimedia services to more than five million homes over the whole of North Africa from Morocco to the Persian Gulf, Egypt became the first African country to have its own direct TV broadcast satellite. A second satellite, Nilesat 102, was launched in 2000, and the Nilesat system now broadcasts more than 150 digital TV channels and provides additional services such as data transmission, turbo internet and multicasting applications. BSAT-1a and -1b replaced the two BS-3 spacecraft used for DBS services, including Hi-Vision test broadcasts, by NHK, WOWOW, and others. Hughes selected the Ariane rocket as the launch vehicle for the BSAT-1 spacecraft. BSAT-1a was launched 16 April 1997 from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. BSAT-1b was also launched from Kourou on 28 April 1998. The two satellites are located at 110 degrees East longitude.

Ariane 44P

Family: Ariane 4
Configuration: 44P

The Ariane 4 was an expendable space launch system, developed by the Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES), the French space agency, for the European Space Agency (ESA). It was manufactured by ArianeGroup and marketed by Arianespace. Since its first flight on 15 June 1988 until the final flight on 15 February 2003, it attained 113 successful launches out of 116 total launches.

Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    56.9 m
  • Diameter
    3.8 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    3.8 m
  • Launch Mass
    357 T
  • Thrust
    5140 kN
Family
  • Name
    Ariane 44P
  • Family
    Ariane 4
  • Variant
    44P
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Ariane 44P
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
  • Low Earth Orbit
    6500 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    3390 kg
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

Aérospatiale

Aérospatiale

()

Founded: 1970 Successes: 0 Failures: 0 Pending: 0

Agency Type: Government

Aérospatiale was a French state-owned aerospace manufacturer that built both civilian and military aircraft, rockets and satellites. It was originally known as Société nationale industrielle aérospatiale (SNIAS). Its head office was in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The name was changed to Aérospatiale during 1970.

WIKI

Kourou, French Guiana

Ariane Launch Area 2


South Korean ADD Solid-Fuel SLV (3 stage)
Success
2 days, 20 hours ago
S-STEP
ADD Offshore launch platform - Jeju Island, South Korea

Note: Launch vehicle name is provisional. Prototype small synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) satellite built by Hanhwa Aerospace on a planar satellite…


Long March 2
Success
2 days, 21 hours ago
MisrSat-2
Launch Area 4 (SLS-2 / 603) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

MisrSat-2 is an Earth observation satellite for the Egyptian Space Agency built by China, with participation from Egyptian engineers and scientists o…


Falcon 9
Success
3 days, 21 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-31
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

A batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
5 days, 7 hours ago
425 Project Flight 1 & rideshare
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Note: Name of payload is provisional. First launch of an ultimately 5 reconnaissance satellites for the South Korean Defense Acquisition Program A…


Soyuz 2.1a
Success
5 days, 15 hours ago
Progress MS-25 (86P)
31/6 - Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan

Progress resupply mission to the International Space Station.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
Starlink Group 6-30
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Soyuz 2.1b
Success
1 week, 4 days ago
Razdan No. 1?
43/4 (43R) - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Note: Payload identity and Cosmos series number uncertain. The Razdan satellite is reportedly a new electro-optical reconnaissance satellite desi…


Long March 2D/YZ-3
Success
1 week, 6 days ago
3 x SatNet test satellites
Launch Complex 3 (LC-3/LA-1) - Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Officially described as "Satellite-Internet Technology Demonstration Satellite(s)" built by Chinese Academy of Sciences. Probable 3 (?) test satellit…


Falcon 9
Success
2 weeks ago
Starlink Group 6-29
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Chollima-1
Success
2 weeks, 1 day ago
Malligyong-1c
Malligyong-1 Pad - Sohae Satellite Launching Station, Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Malligyong-1c (meaning "Telescope-1") is the third attempt by North Korea to launch a satellite officially declared to be for military reconnaissance…