14 DAY TRIAL // This past weekend, two new satellites were launched into Earth's orbit. The satellites, Thor-7 and Sicral-2, left our planet from Europe's spaceport in the commune of Kourou in the French Guiana.
In a post concerning this latest satellite launch, mission scientists with the European Space Agency (ESA) detail that Thor-7 and Sicral-2 were carried into Earth's orbit by an Ariane 5 rocket.
The launch vehicle took off at precisely 20:00 GMT (17:00 local time). As for the satellites, they were released about half an hour into the mission, 6 minutes apart.
“Thor-7 was the first to be released about 28 minutes into the mission. Sicral-2 was released into its own transfer orbit about six minutes after the first satellite,” ESA scientists say.
A photo showing the Ariane 5 rocket preparing to leave the Kourou spaceport was shared with the public shortly after the launch and is available below.
The satellites should remain operational for 15 years to come
Both Thor-7 and Sicral-2 are telecom satellites, meaning that they will be used for communication. It is understood that Sicral-2, operated by Italy’s Telespazio, will serve French and Italian military forces, allowing them to keep in touch.
The Thor-7 satellite, on the other hand, was designed to serve the maritime sector and to deliver television services in Europe's central and eastern regions, ESA specialists detail. It is operated by Norway’s Telenor Satellite Broadcasting AS.
Information shared with the public says that Thor-7 and Sicral-2 tip the scale at about 4,590 kilograms and 4,365 kilograms (roughly 10,120 pounds and 9,620 pounds), respectively.
Together with the weight of the carrying structures needed to place them in Earth's orbit, the satellites' fairly impressive size brought the payload mass for Saturday's launch to 9,970 kilograms (nearly 22,000 pounds).
The scientists who designed and put together the satellites expect that, should all go well, Thor-7 and Sicral-2 will remain operational for at least 15 years from now.
