UPDATE 2: Arianespace’s Flight VA258 to launch the EUTELSAT KONNECT VHTS has been postponed (Image Credit: Sat News)
UPDATE 1
Due to adverse weather conditions at the Guiana Space Center (CSG), flight VA258 – initially scheduled for September 6 – is postponed.
The Ariane 5 launch vehicle and EUTELSAT KONNECT VHTS (*) are in stable and safe conditions.
The new earliest targeted launch date is September 7, 2022, at the earliest within the following launch window.
- 05:45 p.m. – 07:11 p.m. Washington, D.C. time
- 06:45 p.m. – 08:11 p.m. Kourou time
- 09:45 p.m. – 11:11 p.m. Universal time (UTC)
- 11:45 p.m. – 01:11 a.m. Paris time
(*) VHTS Very High Throughput Satellite
Original posting
Arianespace’s third launch of 2022, with the second Ariane 5 of the year, will be sending a geostationary satellite: EUTELSAT KONNECT VHTS — to orbit.
The launch will be performed in Kourou, French Guiana, on September 6th. The launcher will be carrying a total payload of approximately 6.4 tons.
With an instantaneous rate of 500 Gbps, the EUTELSAT KONNECT VHTS will provide high-speed internet access throughout Europe, in particular for isolated regions with low coverage, offering a service comparable to fiber optic networks in terms of performance and cost, thus making a significant contribution to bridging the digital divide.
EUTELSAT KONNECT VHTS will also address the broadband connectivity needs of fixed and mobile telecommunications networks, on land, sea or in the air.
EUTELSAT KONNECT VHTS was built in France by Thales Alenia Space around the Spacebus NEO all-electric propulsion platform (artistic rendition below). It carries a cutting-edge payload using disruptive technologies developed with the support of the French Government, via the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) and the “Investing in the Future” program (PIA), together with the European Space Agency (ESA). The payload notably comprises the most powerful digital processor in the world that combines agile capacity allocation, optimized spectrum use and support, and gradual deployment of network coverage on the ground.
- KONNECT VHTS will be the 37th Eutelsat satellite launched by Arianespace
- It will be the 166th Thales Alenia Space satellite to be launched by Arianespace.
EUTELSAT KONNECT VHTS (Very High Throughput Satellite) is the largest satellite built by Thales Alenia Space and stretches 8.8 meters high (about 29 feet), as tall as a three-story building, and weighs 6.4 metric tons.
