Watch the Launch

Watch the Launch

Additional Media

Flight VA255 – SES-17 / SYRACUSE 4A | Ariane 5 Launch | Arianespace

For its 11th launch of the year, the second using Ariane 5, Arianespace orbited two geostationary satellites: SES-17, a telecommunications satellite operated by SES, and SYRACUSE 4A, a telecommunicati...

Ariane Flight VA255

Arianespace’s eleventh launch of 2021 with the second Ariane 5 of the year will place its satellite passengers into geostationary transfer orbit. The launcher will be carrying a total payload of approximately 11,210 kg. The launch will be performed in Kourou, French Guiana.

SES-17 & Syracuse 4A

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Geostationary Transfer Orbit
Mission: Communications

Geostationary Transfer Orbit Ariane Launch Area 3 Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

SES-17 is a Ka-band high-throughput geostationary communications satellite built by Thales Alenia Space designed to provide mobile internet services to airline passengers over the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean. Syracuse 4A is a French military communications satellite built by Thales Alenia Space.

Updates

SwGustav • Oct. 24, 2021, 3:07 a.m.

Launch success confirmed


SwGustav • Oct. 24, 2021, 2:10 a.m.

Liftoff


Cosmic_Penguin • Oct. 23, 2021, 6:32 a.m.

New launch time.


SwGustav • Oct. 22, 2021, 11:28 a.m.

Delayed due to additional checks on the ground support equipment


Nosu • Oct. 11, 2021, 7:18 p.m.

Launch date & time announced by the Guiana Space Centre.


Ariane 5 ECA+

Family:
Configuration: ECA+

Ariane 5 ECA+ is a variant of the Ariane 5 heavy-lift vehicle, with a taller ECA-D upper stage.

Specifications
  • Max Stage
    2
  • Length
    57.7 m
  • Diameter
    5.4 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    5.4 m
  • Launch Mass
    780.0 T
  • Thrust
    11400.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Ariane 5 ECA+
  • Family
    ―
  • Variant
    ECA+
  • Alias
    ―
  • Full Name
    Ariane 5 ECA+
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    ―
  • Low Earth Orbit
    ―
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    10200.0 kg
  • Direct Geostationary
    ―
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity
    ―

ArianeGroup

ArianeGroup

(AG)

CEO: Christophe Bruneau Founded: 2015 Successes: 0 Failures: 0 Pending: 0

Agency Type:

ArianeGroup (formerly Airbus Safran Launchers) is an aerospace company based in France. A joint venture between Airbus and Safran, the company was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Issy-les-Moulineaux. It consists of three core arms: aerospace, defence and security.

INFO WIKI
SpaceNews

SES-17 takes flight with eyes on soaring commercial aviation market

Arianespace has successfully launched the heaviest satellite SES has ever ordered, marking a cornerstone for a multi-orbit network that is seeing surging demand from commercial aviation customers.

Spaceflight Now

Arianespace breaks payload mass record on final Ariane 5 launch before Webb

A European Ariane 5 rocket fired into space Saturday night from French Guiana with a commercial broadband satellite for SES and a French military telecom craft, setting a new payload mass record for geostationary transfer orbit on the fina…

Spaceflight Now

Under watchful eye of NASA, teams prep for final Ariane 5 flight before Webb

Arianespace is counting down to the blastoff of an Ariane 5 rocket Saturday night from French Guiana, the final flight of Europe’s workhorse launcher before NASA and the European Space Agency entrust it to launch the $10 billion James Webb…

NASA Spaceflight

Ariane 5 launches civilian, military satellites; mission to clear way for James Webb launch

In an important prelude to the James Webb Space Telescope launch, planned for no earlier than mid-December, the Ariane 5 rocket will make its second flight of 2021 and its 111th mission overall with the VA255 flight to take two communicati…

Spaceflight Now

Ariane 5 launch delayed for more ground systems checks

Arianespace delayed the launch from French Guiana of a European Ariane 5 rocket with two geostationary communications satellites Friday to conduct more checks of ground support equipment at the spaceport. The mission, set to loft payloads …

Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

Ariane Launch Area 3


Long March 2D
Success
2 hours, 28 minutes ago
CAS Pathfinder-1
Launch Area 94 (SLS-2 / 603) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

The Chinese Academy of Science (CAS)' Pathfinder-1 satellites is built for in-orbit validation of critical technologies for the upcoming main mission…


Long March 12
Success
2 days, 17 hours ago
SatNet LEO Group 29
Commercial LC-2 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

A batch of 9 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group.…


Soyuz 2.1b/Fregat-M
Success
4 days ago
Glonass-K1? (Kosmos 2621?)
43/3 (43L) - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Note: Payload identity uncertain. Glonass-K are the third generation of satellite design for GLONASS satellite navigation system. GLONASS is a Rus…


Falcon 9
Success
4 days, 13 hours ago
USSF-432
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A classified mission for the United States Space Force. It is possibly a batch of classified LEO satellites based on SpaceX’s Starshield satellite bu…


Ceres-2
Success
4 days, 14 hours ago
4 satellites
Launch Area 95A - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Share-ride of 4 commercial Earth observation and technology demonstration satellites to SSO, details TBD.


Long March 2C
Success
5 days, 22 hours ago
Yaogan 51-07 to 09
Launch Complex 3 (LC-3/LA-1) - Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

3 Chinese military “remote sensing” satellite of unknown purposes.


Kinetica 2
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
SpaceSail Polar Group #17
Launch Area 140 - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

18 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites with Ku, Q and V band payloads for the G60 constellation operated by Shanghai Spacesail Technologies with…


Electron
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
The Sea God Surveys (iQPS Launch 9)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company iQPS.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 4 days ago
Starlink Group 15-18
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 27 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


GSLV Mk II
Success
1 week, 4 days ago
IRNSS-1L (NVS-03)
Satish Dhawan Space Centre Second Launch Pad - Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India

This is a replacement satellite for the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System. The constellation will provide India with an alternative to GPS …