The first of two satellite payloads for Arianespace's next Ariane 5 mission is undergoing pre-launch preparations after arriving at the Spaceport in French Guiana late last week.
SES ASTRA's ASTRA 1L spacecraft was flown into Cayenne's Rochambeau International Airport aboard an Antonov An-124 heavy-lift airliner, and was transferred to the Spaceport's S5 satellite preparation facility.
ASTRA 1L is an A2100 AXS relay platform built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems. After its launch by Ariane 5, the spacecraft will join ASTRA satellites currently co-positioned at 19.2 East to operate as a replacement satellite for existing capacity and to strengthen ASTRA's unique redundancy and customer security scheme.
