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At 10.37pm this Friday (22 April) the Ariane 5 launcher will lift off from the Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

The launcher will carry the Yahsat Y1A and Intelsat New Dawn satellite payloads.

Yahsat Y1A was designed and built by Astrium and Thales Alenia Space, and has been built for the Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) who provide satellite solutions for the Middle East, Africa, South West Asia and Europe. The Yahsat system will provide a fully secure telecommunications infrastructure for the UAE military, as well as offering innovative solutions to commercial operators for broadcasting, internet trunking via satellite, corporate data networks and other services.

While Intelsat New Dawn, built by Intelsat S.A. with financial backing from a South African investor group, led by Convergence Partners, will deliver new capacity for wireless backhaul, fixed line and wireless infrastructure, broadband and media for Africa; the first African private sector communications satellite.

The launch was initially scheduled to occur on March 30, but was delayed when an abnormal launch vehicle parameter was detected during the automated checkout procedure after startup of the Ariane 5’s cryogenic main engine. The launcher is currently in the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building being prepared for its mission.

To follow the live launch video stream, visit the Arianespace website.