Arianespace confirmed its ability to provide high-quality, on-target Ariane 5 missions at an accelerated rate with today's successful launch that placed the Superbird-7 and AMC-21 telecommunications satellites into accurate geostationary transfer orbits. This was the 9th mission performed by Ariane 5s in a 12-month period, during which the workhorse vehicles carried 16 civilian and military telecommunications satellites along with the first Automated Transfer Vehicle for the International Space Station - lofting a combined total payload weight of 75,430 kg. Today's flight also marked the Ariane 5's 27th consecutive successful launch, and was the fifth of seven missions planned by Arianespace in 2008. Lift-off of flight V185 took place at 22:44 CEST/Paris on 14 August (20:44 UTC/GMT; 17:44 UTC-3/Kourou).The satellites were accurately injected into the correct transfer orbits about 30 minutes later. The payload comprised AMC-21, which will provide will provide 24 Ku-band channels of television and enterprise data distribution services over the USA, the Gulf of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, and Superbird 7, which will provide 28 Ku-band channels of broadcast services and mobile terminal links over Japan, eastern Asia and the Pacific Ocean. The payload mass was 8068 kg; the satellite masses totalled 7229 kg, with payload adapters and dispensers making up the additional 839 kg. This fifth launch of the year keeps Arianespace and Europe’s Spaceport on target for the seven missions planned for 2008 – the busiest year ever for Ariane 5. Superbird-7 will succeed Space Communications Corporation's current Superbird-C satellite, and is designed to provide a wide range of Ku-band telecommunications services with enhanced performance. Superbird-7 is based on the Mitsubishi Electric Corporation's DS2000 satellite platform, and it had a liftoff mass of 4,820 kg. AMC-21's was manufactured by Thales Alenia Space incorporating the Orbital Sciences STAR-2 satellite bus, and it will operate from SES' new 125 degrees West orbital position.
