The Ariane 5 launch vehicle launched the European satellite Eutelsat Quantum and the Brazilian Star One D2 into orbit. The European device is the world’s first commercial communications satellite that can be reprogrammed for the tasks of operators.
“The satellites Star One D2 and Eutelsat Quantum have been launched into a geostationary transfer orbit,” the launch operator Arianespace said in a statement.
The launch took place at 23:00 Paris time (00:00 Moscow time) from the Kourou cosmodrome in French Guiana. The satellites separated from the second stage of the rocket after 36 minutes.
Eutelsat Quantum is developed by the European Space Agency, Eutelsat operator and Airbus Defense and Space. It weighs 3.5 tons. The expected service life is 15 years. Star One D2 was created by the American company Maxar for the Brazilian operator Embratel.
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