N-Star A

Launch Success

Liftoff Time (GMT)

06:41:00

Tuesday August 29, 1995

Mission Details

Launch Notes

First flight of Ariane 44P with an H10-3 stage. Flight V77.

N-Star A

Wiki

Two Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) satellites with the highest capacity of any commercial payloads in space were delivered into orbit in 1995 and 1996 and are now providing a variety of fixed and mobile domestic communications services to customers throughout Japan. These satellites, N-STAR-a and -b, replace the service of the SS/L CS satellites, which have now exceeded their expected lifetimes, and will also provide significant new services, which range from providing alternate routes for telephones to emergency communications to marine and terrestrial mobile services, and ISDN. The N-STARs were built for Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) and NTT Mobile Communication Network Inc. (NTT DoCoMo). Dubbed “switchboards in the sky,” for their wide range of abilities, these 26-transponder satellites each carry five separate communications payloads operating in four frequency bands.

Geostationary Transfer Orbit

1 Payload

3,400 kilograms

Rocket

Retired
Ariane 44P

Active 1991 to 2001

European Space Agency logo

Manufacturer

ESA

Rocket

Diameter: 3.8m

Height: 58.72m

Payload to Orbit

GTO: 3,460 kg

Liftoff Thrust

4,334 Kilonewtons

Stages

3

Strap-ons

4

Launch Site

ELA-2

Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana, France

Fastest Turnaround

16 days

Stats

Ariane 4


49th

Mission

7th

Mission of 1995

European Space Agency


68th

Mission

7th

Mission of 1995

1995


49th

Orbital launch attempt