The 69th successful Ariane 5 launch in a row successfully delivered Arabsat-6B (renamed BADR-7 once in orbit) for the operator Arabsat, and GSAT-15 for ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) to their correct transfer orbits on their way to Geostationary Earth Orbit. The launch took place at 2134GMT from the Kourou launch site in French Guiana on 10 November 2015.
Arabsat-6B (BADR-7) was built jointly by Airbus Defence and Space, which provided the Eurostar E3000 platform and handled integration, and Thales Alenia Space, which supplied the payload. The satellite weighed 5,798 kg at liftoff. It is fitted with 27 Ku-band transponders and offers multiple Ka-band spotbeams. It will be positioned over the longitudinal position of 26 degrees East in the geostationary arc, and has a design life exceeding 15 years.
Built by ISRO, GSAT-15 weighed 3,164 kg at liftoff. It is fitted with 24 Ku-band transponders, plus two GAGAN transmitters for augmented navigation accuracy.
It will be positioned over 93.5 degrees East, and offers a design life of 12 years.
