Arianespace Successfully Launches
MEASAT-3b and OPTUS 10 Satellites
Confirms Continued Leadership in the Asia-Pacific
Kourou, French Guianna, September 11, 2014 — Arianespace successfully launched two telecommunications satellites, MEASAT-3b for the Malaysian operator MEASAT, and OPTUS 10 for the Australian operator OPTUS. The launch was performed by an Ariane 5 rocket at 07:05 pm (local time) from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana. With this new successful launch, Arianespace clearly sets the standard in launch services for all manufacturers and operators in the Asia-Pacific market.
The MEASAT-3b satellite is the third satellite orbited by Arianespace for the operator MEASAT Global, following Measat-1 and Measat-2 in January and November 1996. The new satellite will offer telecommunications and direct TV broadcast services for Malaysia, India, Indonesia and Australia.
The OPTUS 10 satellite, which will provide direct TV broadcast, Internet, telephony and data transmission services for Australia, New Zealand and the Antarctic region, is the sixth satellite orbited by Arianespace for the Australian operator, the most recent being in 2009. Except for one satellite, Arianespace has launched the entire active OPTUS fleet.
Since being founded in 1980, Arianespace has boosted into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) two-thirds of the commercial geostationary satellites launched for the Asia-Pacific region. That represents 80 contracts already signed, including ten more satellites to be launched for Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea.
Shortly after the announcement that the satellites had been injected into orbit, Arianespace Chairman and CEO Stéphane Israël said: “Arianespace is very proud to have orbited two new satellites for operators in the Asia-Pacific, a region where we have always been very successful as shown by our market share, which now exceeds 60%. We are also very pleased because this launch not only marks the 61st success in a row for Ariane 5, but also the 100th consecutive successful launch of a geostationary satellite in less than 12 years.
“I would like to thank our two customers, MEASAT and OPTUS, for continuing to entrust us with their satellites. I would also like to thank the French export credit agency, COFACE, which played a key role in financing the MEASAT-3b satellite, to the benefit of our customer, MEASAT, as well as the space industry in France and more largely in Europe.
“Finally, thanks to all the partners of this new success: Airbus Defence and Space, prime contractor of Ariane 5, the industrials working at the French Guiana Space Center, CNES-CSG, and of course the entire Arianespace team.”
About Arianespace
Arianespace is the world’s leading satellite launch company, providing innovation to its customers since 1980. Backed by 21 shareholders and the European Space Agency, the company offers an international workforce renowned for a culture of commitment and excellence. As of September 11, 2014, 219 Ariane launches, 35 Soyuz launches (9 at the Guiana Space Centre and 26 at Baikonur with Starsem) and 3 Vega launches have been performed. The company’s headquarters is in Evry, near Paris, and it has a facility at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, plus local offices in Washington DC (United States), Tokyo (Japan) and Singapore.
