Terrestar-1, touted as the world’s largest civil telecommunications satellite has made initial contact with its launch vehicle, Ariane-5 in preparation for its 1 July 2009 launch.

The spacecraft has been integrated to a cone-shaped adapter unit that will serve as its interface with Arianespace’s Ariane 5 ECA.

TerreStar-1 operated in the 2GHz spectrum will deliver voice, data and video communications to satellite / terrestrial mobile devices the size of a typical smart phone.

The satellite to be operated by TerreStar Networks will cover the US and Canada offering services for government, emergency responders, rural communities and commercial users.

The large satellite that will be carried by the launch vehicle as a single payload will be the third Ariane 5 to launch in 2009 out of a total of seven launches planned for the year.

In the next phase, the spacecraft will be installed on the heavy-lift launcher.