Galaxy 11
Ariane 44L
Arianespace
Mission
Galaxy 11
- Type: Communications
- Orbit: Geostationary Orbit
Galaxy 11 was the first BSS-702 satellite. It was ordered in May 1997 and was successfully launched in December 1999 on an Ariane 4 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana. Galaxy XI has a payload of 64 active transponders; 24 operate in C-band and 40 operate in Ku-band. The spacecraft was designed for an end-of-life power of more than 10 kW. The satellite provides service to North America and Brazil.
Location
Ariane Launch Area 2
Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Ariane Launch Area 2 has witnessed the launch of 119 rockets, including 119 orbital launch attempts. While Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana, has been the site for 323 rocket launches.
The Guiana Space Centre is a European spaceport to the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana, a region of France in South America. Kourou is located at a latitude of 5°. In operation since 1968, it is a suitable location for a spaceport because of its equatorial location and open sea to the east.
Rocket
Aérospatiale Ariane 44L
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.