The European Space Agency's (ESA) Artemis advanced telecommunications satellite will be launched on an Ariane 5 booster on 12 July.
The confirmation of Artemis as a payload ends a number of launcher changes for the satellite, which was originally due to be carried by an Ariane 5, then switched to Japan's H2A booster, but reverted to Arianespace because of delays in the Japanese programme.
Artemis will be launched with Japan's BSAT-2b on mission V142 from Kourou, French Guiana.
The Astrium-built Artemis multi-purpose advanced communications applications technology demonstrator will be part of Europe's satellite navigation system: the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System and Galileo. It will also provide mobile communications and inter-satellite data relay services, including Ka-band data relay from ESA's Envisat environmental monitoring spacecraft. Artemis will have xenon ion propulsion thrusters.
The V142 launch will be preceded by the V141 flight of an Ariane 44L carrying Intelsat 901, while V143 is scheduled for another 44L launch in early August, carrying Intelsat 902.
Source: Flight International
