A new communications satellite, Intelsat New Dawn, backed by SA’s Convergence Partners and international satellite group Intelsat, successfully blasted off into space from French Guiana on Good Friday aboard an Ariane 5 vehicle.
The satellite’s 28 C-band and 24 Ku-band transponders are designed specifically to supply communications infrastructure to Africa. It was the second attempt to launch New Dawn after the first was aborted on 30 March following an automated shutdown.
The Ariane 5 rocket took two satellites into space on Friday night, SA time: New Dawn and the Middle East-backed Yahsat. New Dawn is owned by a consortium led by Convergence Partners, an investment vehicle controlled by Andile Ngcaba, and Intelsat.
Ngcaba live-tweeted the launch from Kourou in French Guiana using his iPad, posting comments such as “We are now in space” and “Done done done”.
New Dawn will provide new capacity for voice, wireless backhaul, fixed-line and wireless infrastructure, broadband and media.
In a statement, Ngcaba says the satellite will “not only deliver crucial services specifically tailored for Africa, it will also herald the dawn of a new era where Africans enjoy far greater involvement in the space communications industry”.
Intelsat New Dawn is the first of eight satellites slated for launch over the next two years and is part of the largest satellite program in Intelsat’s history. The investment program is expected to provide enhanced high-powered capacity to Intelsat’s global fleet. Intelsat’s next launch is expected to be the Intelsat 18 satellite later this year.
More pictures of Friday’s Ariane 5 launch are below, courtesy of Ngcaba. — Staff reporter, TechCentral
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