Airbus-built SKY Brasil-1 satellite successfully launched by Ariane 5

Summary

• Successful flight is 77th in a row for Ariane 5 launcher

Kourou, 15/02/2017 - SKY Brasil-1, a telecommunications satellite made by Airbus Defence and Space for AT&T/DIRECTV, was successfully launched from the space centre at Kourou, French Guiana, on an Ariane 5 rocket. It was the 77^th consecutive successful flight for Europe’s satellite launch vehicle.

SKY Brasil-1 is the 44th Eurostar E3000-based spacecraft built by Airbus Defence and Space and the second for DIRECTV. With a mass at launch of 6000 kg and spacecraft power of 16 kW, SKY Brasil-1 has two deployable solar array wings and a number of deployable and non-deployable antennas.

The spacecraft is 7.5m high and has a wing span 45m when the two solar array wings are deployed in orbit. SKY Brasil-1 has a double propulsion system: chemical for initial orbit raising and electric for keeping in station. It has been designed with a nominal lifetime of 15 years, and carries enough fuel for more than 20 years of in-orbit manoeuvring.

About Airbus

Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2015, it generated revenues of €64.5 billion and employed a workforce of around 136,600. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as Europe’s number one space enterprise and the world’s second largest space business. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.