EUTELSAT
65
West
A
satellite
speeds
into
space
9
March
2016
The
successful
lift-off
of
the
Ariane
rocket
carrying
the
EUTELSAT
65
West
A
satellite
into
space
lit
up
the
night
sky
today
in
Kourou,
French
Guiana.
The
Ariane
launcher
ferrying
Eutelsat’s
newest
satellite
into
space
took
off
on 9
March
at
02.20
(05.20
UTC)
and
delivered
EUTELSAT
65
West
A
into
its
transfer
orbit
after
a
27-minute
flight.
Manoeuvres
to
fully
deploy
the
solar
panels
of
the
6.5
tonne
satellite
built
by
SSL
took
place
on
time
four
hours
later.
Over
the
coming
days
the
apogee
motor
will
be
fired
four
times
to
complete
the
ascent
to
geostationary
orbit,
after
which
antennas
will
be
fully
deployed.
Following
a
series
of
performance
tests
EUTELSAT
65
West
A
will
enter
full
commercial
service
at
65°
West
in
early
May.
Rodolphe
Belmer,
CEO
of
Eutelsat,
said:
“The
launch
of
EUTELSAT
65
West
A is
a
new
milestone
in
the
expansion
of
our
Americas
footprint.
Through
a
combination
of
coverage
zones
and
frequency
bands
it
is
uniquely
placed
to
respond
to
the
varying
requirements
of a
diverse
range
of
clients.
Our
thanks
go
to
Arianespace
for
another
flawless
ride
into
space,
our
31
by
Ariane,
and
to
SSL
for
its
advanced
delivery
of a
sophisticated
satellite
programme.”
EUTELSAT
65
West
A is
a
tri-band
satellite
designed
to
target
fast-growing
markets
across
Latin
America.
Its
high-power
Ku-band
payload
is
optimised
for
Direct-to-Home
reception
and
corporate
connectivity
in
Brazil
as
well
as
corporate
connectivity
in
Central
America,
the
Caribbean
and
the
Andean
region.
EUTELSAT
65
West
A
also
features
a
transatlantic
C-band
coverage
for
cross-continental
video
contribution
and
distribution
and
a
multi-spotbeam
Ka-band
payload
that
will
promote
broadband
access
across
Latin
America,
notably
Brazil,
Mexico,
Colombia
and
Peru.
The
satellite
will
be
followed
into
orbit
in a
few
weeks
by
the
all-electric
EUTELSAT
117
West
B
satellite
that
will
be
located
at
117°
West
to
boost
capacity
for
Latin
America
broadcast
markets.
