Arianespace
The Ariane 5 for Arianespace’s Flight VA253 was equipped with a new vehicle equipment bay that enabled the launcher’s payload capacity to be increased. Credit: Arianespace.

Satellite launch company Arianespace’s Ariane 5 rocket has successfully launched and placed three US-built satellites into a geostationary transfer orbit.

The three payloads, Galaxy 30 (G-30), the Mission Extension Vehicle-2 (MEV-2) and BSAT-4b, lifted off from Spaceport ELA-3 launch zone in French Guiana.

The spacecraft were placed in a flight sequence that took 47 minutes from lift-off to final separation.

Designated Flight VA253, the mission marked the 253rd launch of an Ariane-series vehicle and the 109th using an Ariane 5.

Arianespace chief executive officer Stéphane Israël said: “Flight VA253 marked another mission of innovation for us.

“This was the first time that we delivered three satellites to geostationary transfer orbit on a single launch, and it utilised the most capable Ariane 5 ever – with the increased payload capacity of 10.2 metric tonnes that is now available for satellite payloads.”

For the latest launch, Arianespace leveraged the Ariane 5 ECA version, which was equipped with a new vehicle equipment bay for increased payload capacity.

Produced by Northrop Grumman, the G-30 is the 62nd satellite that Arianespace has launched for Intelsat. It will provide UHD video distribution/broadcast and broadband services that cover North America.

The MEV-2 is designed to service the Intelsat 10-02 (IS 10-02) satellite.

Produced by Maxar Technologies, the BSAT-4b will be capable of UHD direct-to-home television broadcasting across Japan.

The combined mass of the G30, MEV-2 and BSAT-4b was 9,703kg.

In June 2019, Arianespace and American communications firm Viasat modified their ViaSat-3 satellite launch contract, which was signed in 2016.