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XTAR-EUR "STEPS UP" FOR LAUNCH
Mission Update
February 2, 2005
The XTAR-EUR primary payload for Flight 164 is now ready for its integration atop the Ariane 5 ECA heavy-lift launcher following several busy days of activity at the Spaceport in French Guiana.
On January 31, the telecommunications satellite made its first contact with launcher hardware when XTAR-EUR was installed atop a cone-shaped adapter that serves as the interface between the spacecraft and the Ariane 5 payload "stack." This activity took place in the large S5 payload preparation facility at the Spaceport. The same day, XTAR-EUR was transferred from the S5 facility to the launcher Final Assembly Building, where it was installed atop the SYLDA multi-payload deployment system on February 1.
Our photo report below details the mating of XTAR-EUR to the SYLDA. (Click on the photos for a larger version):
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| Photo courtesy of Arianespace |
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The XTAR-EUR satellite goes airborne as it is hoisted for installation atop the SYLDA multi-payload deployment system. This photo, taken in the payload preparation zone of the Ariane 5 Final Assembly Building, provides an excellent side-view of the XTAR-EUR - which clearly shows the cone-shaped interface adapter that has been installed at its base. In the background (to the left of XTAR-EUR) is the ogive-shaped Ariane 5 payload fairing, which will protect the satellite during the launcher's climb-out through the atmosphere. |
| This image shows the XTAR-EUR's underside, detailing the nozzle for the satellite's bi-propellant propulsion system (visible in the center of the gold-colored insulation), as well as the Ariane 5 payload adapter. XTAR-EUR is based on Space System/Loral's 1300 spacecraft bus, and will have a liftoff mass of 3,600 kg. |
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| Photo courtesy of Arianespace |
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| Photo courtesy of Arianespace |
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XTAR-EUR approaches the payload stack assembly area in the Ariane 5 Final Assembly Building, where the black-colored SYLDA deployment system (arrow) is ready to receive it. When the mating is complete, the XTAR-EUR/SYLDA combination will be positioned over Flight 164's lower payload component, which consists of the Sloshsat mini satellite and the Maqsat B2 telemetry/video-imaging package. XTAR-EUR and Sloshsat will be separated in sequence during the mission, while Maqsat B2 will remain mated to Ariane 5 throughout the flight. |
| The XTAR-EUR satellite is shown installed atop SYLDA following completion of the integration process. XTAR-EUR will provide X-band telecommunications services to government users in the United States, Spain, and other friendly and allied nations. It features on-board switching and multiple steerable theater beams that allow the X-band capacity to follow users as they travel anywhere within the satellite's coverage footprint. Operating from the highly desirable orbital slot of 29 degrees East Longitude, XTAR-EUR will provide coverage in a footprint extending from the Eastern Atlantic to Southeast Asia. |
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| Photo courtesy of Arianespace |
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Mission update courtesy Arianespace. For more information, visit Arianespace's XTAR mission page
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