Arianespace to launch Argentine satellite Arsat-1

28 June 2010

Arianespace has signed the launch Service & Solutions contract with Argentine operator ARSAT (Empresa Argentina de Soluciones Satelitales Sociedad Anonima) to orbit the Arsat-1 satellite by mid-2012.

Weighing about 2,900 kg at launch, Arsat-1 will be placed into geostationary transfer orbit by an Ariane 5 or Soyuz launcher from the Guiana Space Center, Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

Arsat-1 will be fitted with twelve 36 MHz, eight 54 MHz and four 72 MHz transponders, all in Ku band. It will offer a wide range of telecommunications, data transmission, telephone and television services mainly across all of Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay.

The satellite is being built by the Argentine company INVAP, with Astrium and Thales Alenia Space as leading equipment suppliers. Arsat-1 will be the second Argentine satellite launched by Arianespace, after Nahuel 1A, orbited in 1997.

“We are very pleased with our selection of Arianespace to launch the first geostationary satellite built in Argentina,” said Pablo Tognetti, Chairman and CEO of ARSAT. “Our selection is the result of an international bid, in which price, excellence in space transportation and mission success ratio were critical in our decision.’

Jean-Yves Le Gall, Chairman and CEO of Arianespace, added, “Arianespace is especially proud to have this opportunity to work with a South American satellite operator, and we would like to thank ARSAT for selecting us. This latest contract, the 9th we have signed in 2010, is clear recognition of the quality and competitiveness of our launch Service & Solutions.”