Arianespace chalks up another success with Ariane 5 launches T-16 and Eutelsat 7C

Following the launch, Stéphane Israël, Chief Executive Officer of Arianespace, said: “I would like to thank our two loyal customers for entrusting us with the launch of their T-16 and EUTELSAT 7C satellites. This second Ariane 5 launch of the year reaffirms the reliability of our heavy-lift launcher and its leadership in the geostationary market. We are very proud to count 24 GEO satellites in our order book. Some of them will be launched by Ariane 6, the new-generation launch vehicles scheduled to make its first flight in 2020.”

Arianespace supports two world leaders in satellite communications EUTELSAT 7C is the 33rd satellite to be launched by Arianespace for Eutelsat.

With this latest launch, Arianespace continues to bolster its exceptional partnership with Eutelsat, a relationship that reaches back to 1983. More than half of the operator’s satellites to date have been orbited by Arianespace. This relationship is set to continue, since Arianespace’s backlog includes seven more Eutelsat satellites, to be orbited by Ariane 5 and Ariane 6.

Built by Maxar Technologies, EUTELSAT 7C is a high-power broadcast satellite for markets in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Turkey. By significantly increasing power over Sub-Saharan Africa, it will make room for several hundred additional digital channels to support the region’s rapidly expanding television market. Built by Airbus Defence and Space, T-16 will provide high-power broadcast services to the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

Arianespace has 21 more Airbus satellites in its launch backlog.

Arianespace confirms its leadership in the geostationary launch market Today’s successful mission once again illustrates the dependability of Arianespace to boost satellites into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). With this launch, Arianespace has now orbited a total of 376 geostationary satellites, including 176 on Ariane 5. The European operator has 24 more geostationary satellites in its backlog of launch orders.