Flight VV08: A new Vega mission at the service of Earth observationFor its 10th launch of the year – and the eighth to be performed by the Vega launcher since its first liftoff from the Guiana Space Center in 2012 – Arianespace will orbit the GÖKTÜRK-1 satellite in the framework of a Telespazio turnkey contract with the Undersecretariat for Defence Industries of Turkey (SSM).GÖKTÜRK-1 is the first Turkish governmental satellite for Earth observation. It also is the sixth satellite to be launched by Arianespace for Turkey, following five Türksat-series telecommunications spacecraft from 1994 to 2008. Flight VA234: Arianespace’s 11th successful mission of 2016 orbits the Star One D1 and JCSAT-15 satellitesThis was the 11th and final launch of the year for Arianespace, the seventh with Ariane 5 in 2016, as well as the heavy-lift launcher’s 76th consecutive success and its 90th launch overall.Star One D1 is the 11th satellite to be orbited by Arianespace for Embratel Star One, the largest satellite operator in Latin America. Star One D1 is the initial fourth-generation satellite for the Brazilian operator, and is to provide broadband telecommunications, Internet access and other digital applications for Latin America, Central America and the Caribbean.JCSAT-15 is the 19th SKY Perfect JSAT satellite assigned to Arianespace to launch. With a fleet of 17 satellites, SKY Perfect JSAT is the largest commercial satellite operator in Asia. It provides satellite communications and pay-TV broadcasting services and delivers a broad range of entertainment through the SKY PerfecTV! platform, the largest service of this type in Japan with some 3 million subscribers. 2016, A very successful year of operations: 27 satellites in orbitWith this last launch of the year, Arianespace maintains a sustained pace of operations. It carried out 11 launches during 2016, all successful, using its entire family of launchers: seven by Ariane 5, two with Soyuz and two by Vega.Arianespace also set a new record by orbiting 27 satellites during the year (versus the previous record of 25 satellites in 2012). Total mass injected into orbit in 2016 was 61.4 metric tons, including 52.4 metric tons into geostationary transfer orbit.During the year Arianespace launched satellites of all sizes (from 3 kg. to 6.5 metric tons) into all orbits for a wide range of applications: - 10 geostationary (GEO) telecommunications satellites -7 Earth observation satellites - 6 navigation satellites - 3 nano-satellites for educational purposes - 1 scientific satellite ABOUT GTD AT KOUROU SPACE CENTERSince 2003, each time an Ariane 5, a Soyuz or a VEGA are launched from the spaceport in Guiana, as well as the payload, many hours of work are required from GTD’s technical teams.GTD supplies services and software in practically all steps of an Ariane 5 mission – from the launcher's flight program to the responsibility of ground systems that control the launching operations, as well as the radars, telemetry and mission control systems.Each launch is also a challenge for GTD’s team, who is responsible for all the computer systems at the launch site. Each launch is a fresh new project; there is no routine, which means our engineers always embark on an adventure than goes beyond technical jobs that require a lot of responsibility.Countdown: The campaign to prepare a launcher takes about 22 - 30 working days, and a campaign to prepare the payload (satellite) takes from 4 weeks to 5 months (depending on the mission and its magnitude). Our teams are currently able to launch up to seven double Ariane 5, up to four soyuz and up to two Vega per year, that is, 14 telecom satellites and 4 to 6 EO and scientific spacecraft every year.Launch day: The end of the countdown is near. The final operations to fill the liquid propellants on the Ariane 5, and then the ground operation tests are carried out on the launcher. During this stage, gtd's staff is working hard all round the Spaceport. In the launch site's bunker, the technical centre, in Des Pêres Mountain where the radar and telemetry installations are, in the meteorological centre where the last conditions before the launch is authorised.At the same time, a support team is configuring a backup of the computer systems in Barcelona, 8,000 km away from the Ariane 5, which is already letting out oxygen steam.Ariane is launched: Once the launcher is in the air, it is controlled on board (by the embedded computer) and from the Jupiter Control Centre (CDC). These two systems were also designed by GTD’s engineers and are currently being operated by GTD’s engineers, too. Once the launcher releases the payloads (at a height of 500 - 600 km), everyone breathes a sigh of relief and starts clapping and cheering and congratulating each other; but our engineers are already thinking about the next mission that starts the following morning.
