Toby Smith Geosynchronous 2

Toby Smith

Geosynchronous Satellites

Over 6,600 satellites have been launched into space since the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957. 3,600 are currently in operation and launch frequencies are ever increasing to satisfy our global thirst for more communication, data and broadcast channels.

In 2012 I began a long-term partnership with SES to document some of the world’s most advanced commercial satellites from their design, construction and testing through to international transportation, space launch and operations.

SES-6 weighs over 6 tonnes and is currently orbiting above Latin America and the Caribbean where it will relay broadcast and data networks for 15 years. The story behind this satellite represents a heady and absolute cooperation across a surprising set of nations; all pushing the boundaries of science, design and engineering.

This satellite was designed and constructed by a French Space Technology group, Airbus Defence and Space (formerly Astrium), funded by a Luxembourgian Satellite Operator offering bandwidth to Latin America.

It was delivered to Kazachstan by the world’s largest cargo jet operated from the Ukraine. Its chosen launch vehicle is a heavily modified version of a ballistic missile operated by a Russian-American space cooperation. The Proton Rocket successfully launched from Baikonor Cosmodrome, Kazachstan, a mysterious area of land leased by the Russian Government since the 1950’s. The Proton Rocket was originally designed to deliver nuclear bombs onto the Eastern Seaboard of the US Mainland but now finds itself operated in the first US-Russian partnership to stem from the cold war.

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BAIKONUR, KAZACHSTAN, – 02 JUNE, 2013

A model of the Proton Rocket System stands outside the Proton Club in Area 95 of Baikonour Cosmodrome. The Proton Club provides a safe view of the launch on launchpad 39. Area 95 contains modern hotels for VIP guests but is also littered with decaying barracks from the regions military history.

BAIKONUR, KAZACHSTAN, – 02 JUNE, 2013

Telephoto shot of the top of a Proton rocket system containing SES-6 Satellite for launch. The maiden flight of the Proton rocket took place on 16 July 1965. The launcher's lead designer, Vladimir Chelomei, initially designed it with the intention of creating both a powerful rocket for military payloads and a high-performance ICBM. The program was changed, and the rocket was developed exclusively for launching spacecraft.The original name of the launch vehicle was UR-500, but it adopted the name “Proton,” which also was the name of the first three payloads that the rocket launched.

BAIKONUR, KAZACHSTAN, – 02 JUNE, 2013

Telephoto shot of the top of a Proton rocket system containing SES-6 Satellite for launch. The maiden flight of the Proton rocket took place on 16 July 1965. The launcher's lead designer, Vladimir Chelomei, initially designed it with the intention of creating both a powerful rocket for military payloads and a high-performance ICBM. The program was changed, and the rocket was developed exclusively for launching spacecraft.The original name of the launch vehicle was UR-500, but it adopted the name “Proton,” which also was the name of the first three payloads that the rocket launched.

BAIKONUR, KAZACHSTAN, – 03 JUNE, 2013

Transmitter equipment stored at the exterior of the Gagarin Space Museum. Baikonur Cosmodrome has a small museum, located right next to two small cottages, once residences of Sergey Korolev and Yuri Gagarin. Both cottages are part of the museum complex and have been preserved. The museum is home to a collection of space artifacts.

BAIKONUR, KAZACHSTAN, – 03 JUNE, 2013

Interior of the Buran Space Shuttle at the Gagarin Space museum near Baikonur city. The Buran spacecraft, Snowstorm or Blizzard, was a Soviet orbital vehicle analogous in function and design to the US Space Shuttle and developed by Chief Designer Gleb Lozino-Lozinskiy of RKK Energia. Buran completed one unmanned spaceflight in 1988 and remains the only Soviet space shuttle that was launched into space, as the Buran programme was cancelled in 1993.

BAIKONUR, KAZACHSTAN, – 02 JUNE, 2013

Aerial view across the Cosmodrome including what is believed to be the Boran shuttle test facility and Energia launch pad. The Baikonur Cosmodrome is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan and leased by the Kazakh government to Russia and is managed jointly by the Russian Federal Space Agency and the Russian Space Forces. It was originally built by the Soviet Union in the late 1950s as the base of operations for its space program.

BAIKONUR,  KAZACHSTAN,  – 03 JUNE, 2013

Telephoto shot of the Proton rocket system containing SES-6 Satellite at lift-off . The powerful first stage rockets consist of a central tank containing an oxidizer, surrounded by six-outboard fuel tanks. Each fuel tank also carries one of the six RD-276 engines that provide first stage power. Total first stage vacuum-rated thrust level is 11.0MN.

Space X, a new player on the launch scene, is threatening to reduce prices, improve environmental credentials, increase scalability and rock the existing market. Elon Musk has ambition to travel to Mars but also dominate the commercial launch industry with his modular Falcon 9 launch system.

Falcon-9 is heading towards being a re-usable space-craft, the first of its kind, and is 100% designed and built in the US. Re-filling the vacuum at Cape-Canerval left by the Shuttle Program required a heady mix of approval from the US Government and investors. Without the track-record of existing providers SES took a gamble launching SES-8 with them in December 2013. After a number of technical delays the Falcon 9 successfully launched the satellite into a Geostationary orbit over Asia. As the first of its kind the launch was heavily discounted to $60 million dollars.

From French Guiana the European Space Agency (ESA) operate the world’s reference for heavy-lift launchers. Ariane 5 can carry payloads weighing more than 10 metric tons to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) and over 20 metric tons into low-Earth orbit (LEO). With satellite weight decreasing and cost being an important factor many industry critics argue that Ariane 5 is too costly and too heavy to remain commercial competitive. What cannot be argued is its incredible reliability and track record of 71 successful launches and 57 in a row.

Ariane 5 has a strong track record of successful launches compared to the recent poor reliability of Proton, and SpaceX being new have yet to prove a track record, their arrival nonetheless shook up the market and grabbed headlines. Currently, Ariane also have a long/full waiting list, whereas SpaceX has availability, and offers a huge cost saving.

The European Space Agency knew this was coming, and yesterday finally (after 2 years of discussion) announce that they have secured the funds needed to move forward with the development of an Ariane 6 rocket, in a bid to rival SpaceX. It will be loosely based on the current model, but embracing new technology to bring the cost down compared to their current model.

BBC News article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-30251863

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S5 SATELLITE PREPARATION BUILDING, CENTRE SPATIAL GUYANAIS, FREN

Astra 5B is prepared for movement in the cleanroom of S5 Satellite Preparation Area. ASTRA 5B will extend transponder capacity and geographical reach over Eastern European and neighbouring markets for DTH, direct-to- cable and contribution feeds to digital terrestrial television networks. It will also carry a hosted L-band payload for the European Commission’s European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS).

S5 SATELLITE PREPARATION BUILDING, CENTRE SPATIAL GUYANAIS, FREN

The large CCU3 spacecraft container is used for the transfer of empty and fueled spacecraft between facilities at the Spaceport. It docks to the outside of the airlock doors on the S5A, S5B and S5C halls, making contact with an inflatable airtight seal. Satellites are moved into and out of the container on an air cushion pallet. The CCU3 container meets customer requirements for temperature control, shock protection and other conditions during the transfer of payloads.

BAF, CENTRE SPATIAL GUYANAIS, FRENCH GUIANA – 12 MARCH, 2014

Astra 5B is prepared for integration into the Ariane 5 fairing (nose-cone) in the cleanroom of the Fairing Integration Area. The last major step in the launch campaign is Ariane 5's transfer by rail to the 90-meter-tall Final Assembly Building. It is inside this facility that the launcher receives its payload, along with the Sylda structures, and the payload fairing. These payload elements are processed within an encapsulation hall inside the Final Assembly Building. The payload is then hoisted by a traveling crane and transferred for installation atop the launcher.

BAF, CENTRE SPATIAL GUYANAIS, FRENCH GUIANA – 12 MARCH, 2014

Astra 5B is prepared for integration into the Ariane 5 fairing (nose-cone) in the cleanroom of the Fairing Integration Area. The last major step in the launch campaign is Ariane 5's transfer by rail to the 90-meter-tall Final Assembly Building. It is inside this facility that the launcher receives its payload, along with the Sylda structures, and the payload fairing. These payload elements are processed within an encapsulation hall inside the Final Assembly Building. The payload is then hoisted by a traveling crane and transferred for installation atop the launcher.

BAF, CENTRE SPATIAL GUYANAIS, FRENCH GUIANA – 12 MARCH, 2014

Astra 5B is prepared for integration into the Ariane 5 fairing (nose-cone) in the cleanroom of the Fairing Integration Area. The last major step in the launch campaign is Ariane 5's transfer by rail to the 90-meter-tall Final Assembly Building. It is inside this facility that the launcher receives its payload, along with the Sylda structures, and the payload fairing. These payload elements are processed within an encapsulation hall inside the Final Assembly Building. The payload is then hoisted by a traveling crane and transferred for installation atop the launcher.

BAF, CENTRE SPATIAL GUYANAIS, FRENCH GUIANA – 12 MARCH, 2014

Astra 5B is prepared for integration into the Ariane 5 fairing (nose-cone) in the cleanroom of the Fairing Integration Area. The last major step in the launch campaign is Ariane 5's transfer by rail to the 90-meter-tall Final Assembly Building. It is inside this facility that the launcher receives its payload, along with the Sylda structures, and the payload fairing. These payload elements are processed within an encapsulation hall inside the Final Assembly Building. The payload is then hoisted by a traveling crane and transferred for installation atop the launcher.

BAF, CENTRE SPATIAL GUYANAIS, FRENCH GUIANA – 13 MARCH, 2014

The last major step in the launch campaign is Ariane 5's transfer by rail to the 90-meter-tall Final Assembly Building. It is inside this facility that the launcher receives its payload, along with the Sylda structures, and the payload fairing. These payload elements are processed within an encapsulation hall inside the Final Assembly Building. The payload is then hoisted by a traveling crane and transferred for installation atop the launcher.

ARIANE LAUNCHPAD, CENTRE SPATIAL GUYANAIS, FRENCH GUIANA – 21

After leaving ELA-3's Final Assembly Building on its mobile launch table, the completed Ariane 5 arrives at the launch zone, where it is positioned over a concrete foundation with three flame trenches.Liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen feed lines for the launcher's cryogenic main stage are hooked up via connectors under the launch table, as are the connections for the umbilical mast. The launch zone has four 80-meter-tall towers that provide lightning protection, and a tower that delivers water to the launch site for cooling and noise damping during Ariane 5's liftoff.

BAF, CENTRE SPATIAL GUYANAIS, FRENCH GUIANA – 20 MARCH, 2014

he last major step in the launch campaign is Ariane 5's transfer by rail to the 90-meter-tall Final Assembly Building. It is inside this facility that the launcher receives its payload, along with the Sylda structures, and the payload fairing. These payload elements are processed within an encapsulation hall inside the Final Assembly Building. The payload is then hoisted by a traveling crane and transferred for installation atop the launcher.

LAUNCH CONTROL ROOM, CENTRE SPATIAL GUYANAIS, FRENCH GUIANA –

The Mission Control Room in the Technical Centre at Europe's Spaceport during the Ariane 216 launch sequence. Engineers and representatives from Arianespace, CNES follow and monitor launches especially during the critical fuelling and final countdown. Final countdown takes place here and flights of Ariane 5, Soyuz and Vega, are closely monitored until their payload has been accurately placed in their correct orbit.

“It’s a success — I even dare to call it a big success,” said Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA’s director-general, explaining that nations had pledged 5.924 billion euros ($7.4 billion) euros for operations in the coming years. He praised member states for making “an exceptional effort… because we know what the economic situation is.”

Europe’s two biggest space powers, France and Germany, had been discussing a number of differences on the matter, but have finally reached consensus, and a budget of €5.924bn Euros has now been committed by ESA member states (largely France & Germany) to a number of projects over the coming years, with roughly €4bn Euros of that going towards Ariane 6, which they plan to have ready by 2020.

Its incredible capability was witnessed in French Guiana on the 22 March this year. Launching 2 satellites simultaneously and flawlessly to geostationary altitudes.  The incredible force is created by a heady combination of engine and fuel types. Ariane 5’s cryogenic H158 main stage  is called the EPC (Étage Principal Cryotechnique—Cryotechnic Main Stage). It consists of a large tank 30.5 metres high with two compartments, one for 130 tonnes of liquid oxygen and one for 25 tonnes of liquid hydrogen, and a Vulcain engine at the base with thrust of 115 tonnes-force (1.13 meganewtons). Attached to the sides are two solid rocket boosters  each weighing about 277 tonnes full. Each delivers a thrust of about 630 tonnes-force. T

In a new burst of energy and with billions of euros placed on the table, Europe and the U.S. are entering into a new race to access space. This race will only see winners since the demand for satellite capacity is set to grow exponentially. For only through satellite, can the connectivity hunger experienced by millions of people worldwide and the vast appetite for data by technology giants Google and Facebook be met.

SES HEADQUARTERS, LUXEMBOURG,  – 31 OCT 2013

View of the antenna field in Luxembourg that controls communication satellites above the Northen Hemisphere. This site is the largest satellite uplink station in the world. Each dish connects to single satellite by microwave frequency and must track it accurately.

The DINO of SES’s Headquarters in Luxembourg. DINO stands for Digital Network Operations and is where all the quality control of every broadcasted channel is monitored. The quality is maintained by delicate manoeveres of the satellite and tweaking of the data stream.

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