Launch Success
Liftoff Time (GMT)
21:49:00
Wednesday December 19, 2012
Watch Replay
Official Livestream
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Flight VA212.
Mexsat-3, also known as Mexsat Bicentenario or simply Bicentenario, is the first of three Mexican satellites forming the MEXSAT telecommunications network and is named to commemorate the bicentennial of the Independence of Mexico. It was launched on 19 December 2012 to serve the other two satellites in the network, Mexsat-1 and Mexsat-2, as a fixed satellite service. It was manufactured by the company Orbital Sciences Corporation and was launched from Kourou in French Guiana, and currently occupies orbit at 114.9° West.
Geostationary Transfer Orbit
1 Payload
2,935 kilograms
Skynet 5D is a military communications satellite operated by Airbus Defence and Space on behalf of the British Ministry of Defence. It was the last of four Skynet 5 satellites to be launched. The spacecraft was constructed by Astrium, based on the Eurostar 3000S satellite bus. It had a mass at launch of approximately 4,800 kilograms (10,600 lb) and is designed to operate for at least 15 years. Its 34-metre (112 ft) solar arrays will generate a minimum of 6 kilowatts to power its UHF and X-band communications systems. The satellite's payload includes jamming countermeasures.
Geostationary Transfer Orbit
1 Payload
4,800 kilograms
Manufacturer
ESAPrice
$200.00 million
Rocket
Diameter: 5.4m
Height: 53m
Payload to Orbit
LEO: 21,000 kg
GTO: 10,500 kg
Liftoff Thrust
15,120 Kilonewtons
Fairing
Diameter: 5.4m
Height: 17m
Stages
2
Strap-ons
2
67th
Mission
7th
Mission of 2012
203rd
Mission
9th
Mission of 2012
78th
Orbital launch attempt