Ariane 5 lifts 2 Satellites at once - INTELSAT 30 (IS-30) and ARSAT 1 to GEO Orbit

Payload

DLR Portal - Ariane - Europe's access to space

Launch Notification: INTELSAT 30 (IS-30), ARSAT 1

"An Ariane 5 launcher fired into space Thursday from French Guiana, hauling two commercial satellites destined to broadcast television to Latin America for Intelsat, DirecTV and Argentina's national telecom company.

Intelsat 30 Official Launch Site | Intelsat S.A.


Intelsat 30, 31 / DLA 1, 2 (ISDLA 1, 2) - Gunter's Space Page

Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) announced in September 2011 that it has been awarded a contract to provide two high-power hybrid C- and Ku-band satellites, called Intelsat 30 and 31 or DLA 1 and 2, to Intelsat for Direct-to-Home (DTH) television service in Latin
America. The two satellites will be operated by Intelsat, which will provide the complete Ku-band capacity of them to DIRECTV Latin America, a DTH digital television services operator in Latin America.

Analyst: Latin America makes DirecTV especial
— Tech News and Analysis

The Ku-band payloads, refered to as DLA 1 and 2, will be used to expand DTH entertainment offerings and provide backup and restoration services. The two satellites are scheduled for launch in 2014 and 2015, respectively, and will be co-located with  Intelsat’s Galaxy 3C satellite at 95°W, which DTVLA has used since 2002.

DIRECTV Galaxy 3C - 95W Coverage

Each satellite will feature 10 C-band transponders for Intelsat’s own use for expanding its business in the growing Latin American market.

The two satellites are designed based on the decades proven Space Systems/Loral 1300 platform and the first is scheduled to launch in 2014. They are contracted to provide service for a minimum of 15 years.

Argentina launches its first home-built satellite
ArSat-1: Argentina to communicate its heightened space ambitions | NASASpaceFlight.com

The ARSAT-1 satellite is the first to be constructed with local technology in Latin America. It was built by a crew of about 500 scientists over seven years at a cost of $250 million. The satellite was launched from a base in French Guiana and is to orbit 22,000 miles (36,000 kilometers) above Earth.

"ARSAT-1 is on its way to space. What a thrill," President Cristina Fernandez said shortly after the launch via her Twitter account. Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner - Twitter


ARSAT-1 is designed to provide digital television and cellphone services to Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay for the next 15 years. It's also expected to improve telephone and Internet connections in remote places, including for scientists working in the Antarctic region.