Flying its third mission of the year on 18th June, Ariane 5 delivered a new record payload lift performance with the successful launch from the Spaceport in French Guiana, carrying a pair of telecommunications satellites at the service of American and Indonesian customers.

The heavy-lift mission carried EchoStar XVIII and BRIsat, and it delivered a total calculated mass of 10,730kg into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) – setting a new launch benchmark for the Ariane 5 ECA version. The total included some 9,840kg for the two spacecraft, along with the dispenser system and integration hardware in Ariane 5’s dual payload arrangement.

Ariane 5 lifted off from the Spaceport’s ELA-3 launch zone for a 42-minute flight, which marked the vehicle’s 72nd consecutive success, as well as the 230th flight of an Ariane-series launcher overall.

Riding in the upper position of Ariane 5’s payload configuration, EchoStar XVIII, which was released first during the flight sequence, is the fifth spacecraft entrusted to Arianespace for launch by U.S.-based operator DISH Network L.L.C.

This satellite – which is to be operated from a final orbital position of 110 deg. West – features a high-power multi-spot beam in the Ku-band serving customers in the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii.

Flight VA230’s lower passenger – BRIsat, which is to be operated by P.T. Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk. (BRI) – was the second payload released today by Ariane 5.

As the world’s first communications satellite dedicated to banking, BRIsat will provide enhanced secure banking communications for more than 10,600 operational branches, as well as to some 237,000 electronic channel outlets and nearly 53 million customers across the Indonesian archipelago. It is to operate from a final orbital slot located at 150.5 deg. East, with a coverage area that includes Indonesia, Southeast and Northeast Asia.