Orion 2
Ariane 44LP
Arianespace
Mission
Orion 2
- Type: Communications
- Orbit: Geostationary Orbit
Built by Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), Orion 2 features 36 high-powered Ku-band transponders. It was launched into the orbital slot located at 15 degrees west longitude, where in-orbit testing will be conducted. Loral was in negotiations with Eutelsat, also a satellite services provider, to complete coordination of the Orion 2 satellite with the Eutelsat spacecraft in the region.
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 44LP
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.