Article Posted on : - Jul 07, 2011

Telenor's Thor 7 satellite. Photo: Space Systems/Loral artist's concept.

EVRY, PARIS (BNS): Telenor Satellite Broadcasting (TSBc) has selected Europe’s Ariane 5 rocket to launch Telenor’s Thor 7 telecommunications satellite.

Arianespace launch consortium announced July 5 that the heavy-lift Ariane 5 rocket would launch Thor 7 in late 2013. The launch is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2013 from the Guiana Space Center, Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

THOR 7 will be built by US firm Space Systems/LORAL based on its SS/L 1300 platform. THOR 7 will have two payloads.

"Arianespace is especially proud to be working for a European operator, and we want to thank Telenor for their confidence. This latest contract is another sign of recognition for the quality and competiveness of our launch service and solutions," Jean-Yves Le Gall, Chairman and CEO of Arianespace, was quoted as saying in the company news report.

Equipped with 11 Ku-band transponders, the satellite will provide broadcast services for Central and Eastern Europe. Its Ka-band payload will provide broadband communications service for the maritime industry, as well as spot beam coverage over the North Sea, Norwegian Sea, Red Sea, Baltic Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean. THOR 7 has an expected lifetime of 15 years.

This is the second satellite launched for Telenor by Arianespace, following the launch of THOR 6 in October 2009.