Arianespace formalised its previous agreement to launch the communications Jabiru-1 when Arianespace chief executive Yves Le Gall and Adrian Ballintine, founder and chief executive of NewSat Limited (NewSat), signed the launch services contract for the Jabiru-1 satellite at the Satellite 2012 conference being held in Washington, DC.
Jabiru-1 will be launched into geostationary transfer orbit by an Ariane 5 launch vehicle from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana during the fourth quarter of 2014. Jabiru-1 is currently being built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems using an A2100 platform. Weighing 5,900 kg at launch and with a design life of 15 years, the Jabiru-1 spacecraft will be fitted with 50 Ka-band transponders configured in a variety of multi-spot, steerable and regional beams to provide services to customers across Asia, the Middle East and eastern Africa.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
