Intelsat’s New Dawn and Y1A in successful launch

Arianspace has successfully launched Intelsat’s New Dawn and Yahsat’s Y1A satellites.

The launch took place on April 22 at 18:37 local time from French Guiana. Both satellites were due to launch on May 30 but the mission was halted at the last minute due to an anomaly on the launcher.

Orbital Science-built Intelsat New Dawn, equipped with a C-band and Ku-band payload, will offer telecommunications and media services from the 32.8° East slot. The satellite is part of a joint venture led by Intelsat and will be operated a marketed as part of the global Intelsat fleet.

“Intelsat and the African continent share a 40-year history in the development of Africa’s telecommunications infrastructure,” said Dave McGlade, Intelsat CEO. “Intelsat New Dawn will be integrated with the resilient Intelsat fleet, allowing us to expand and enhance the vital communications services that are provided by our customers to business consumers throughout Africa.”