Ariane 5 placed the Intelsat 29e telecommunications satellite into geostationary transfer orbit on 27th January. The first Ariane 5 launch of 2016 is also the 70th consecutive success of the European launcher. Built by Boeing, the satellite weighed 6.5t at launch.
Located at 310° East, Intelsat 29e will replace Intelsat 1R and Intelsat 805. The payload will enable the delivery of enterprise-grade, broadband services to fixed and mobile network operators, aero and maritime mobility service providers, and to government customers operating throughout the Americas. The satellite will also provide spot beams for mobility customers serving the heavily trafficked North Atlantic region.
Intelsat 29e marks the first of Intelsat’s next generation EpicNG satellite fleet that combines wide beams and spot beams with frequency-reuse technology to meet customers’ growing demand for broadband connectivity worldwide.
Intelsat29e is the 56th Intelsat satellite orbited by Arianespace and the first dedicated launch aboard an Ariane 5 rocket for Intelsat. Intelsat expects to launch the second Intelsat EpicNG satellite, Intelsat 33e, which will serve Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, in the third quarter of 2016, also aboard an Arianespace launcher.