Final launch preparations are underway for Arianespace Flight 122, which is scheduled to lift off from Europe's Spaceport on October 19 at 3:22 a.m. local time in Kourou, French Guiana. The launch readiness review took place in Kourou on October 15.
The Orion 2 satellite, featuring 38 high-powered Ku-band transponders, will cover all of Europe: from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ural Mountains–and large sections of North America and Latin America: from eastern Canada to southern Argentina. In addition, the satellite will deliver spot beam coverage of South Africa.
From its ideal orbital location at 12 degrees West Longitude, Orion 2 will provide service to customers among the major business and population centers on the East Coast of North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and South Africa, using only one satellite.
The 10 kilowatt Orion 2 satellite will be based on SS/L's flight-proven three-axis, body-stabilized FS-1300 bus, and will have a mass of 3,800 kilograms, when it is launched aboard an Ariane 44LP launch vehicle in May 1999. The spacecraft will have an expected lifetime of 16 years.
SS/L has added features to its new design of the Orion 2 satellite that expand its revenue potential, including eight additional transponders, more transmittable power, an enhanced transponder switching capability, and three additional years in expected lifetime.
