ABS-2 & Athena-Fidus

Launch Success

Liftoff Time (GMT)

21:30:00

Thursday February 6, 2014

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Mission Details

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Launch Notes

Flight VA217.

ABS-2

Wiki

The ABS-2 satellite was built by Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) using the LS-1300 platform. It weighed more than 6,330 kg at launch and was positioned in geostationary orbit at 75 degrees East. Fitted with C, Ku, and Ka-band transponders, it provides telecommunications, direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasting, multimedia, and data transmission services for Africa, the Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Russia, and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Geostationary Transfer Orbit

1 Payload

6,330 kilograms

Athena-Fidus

Wiki

Athena-Fidus (Access on theatres for European allied forces nations-French Italian dual-use satellite) is a French-Italian telecommunication satellite providing high-throughput secure communications to both nation's armed forces and their emergency services. It was manufactured by Thales Alenia Space under the supervision of CNES, the DGA, and the Italian Space Agency. It complements the lower-throughput but more secure Syracuse 3 satellites. The satellite has a wet mass of 3 tonnes and was placed on Geostationary orbit in 2014. Its expected lifetime is 15 years.

Geostationary Transfer Orbit

1 Payload

3,080 kilograms

Rocket

Retired
Ariane 5 ECA

Active 2002 to 2023

European Space Agency logo

Manufacturer

ESA

Price

$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

Launch Site

ELA-3

Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana, France

Fastest Turnaround

24 days 3 hours

Stats

Ariane 5


72nd

Mission

1st

Mission of 2014

European Space Agency


211th

Mission

1st

Mission of 2014

2014


6th

Orbital launch attempt