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Ariane 44LP: Inmarsat-3 F5 & Brasilsat B3

Launched in 1996-8, the Inmarsat-3s were built by Lockheed Martin Astro Space (now Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space) of the USA, responsible for the basic spacecraft, and the European Matra Marconi Space (now Astrium), which developed the communications payload. Brazil's second generation of communications satellites are the result of joint engineering and manufacturing efforts in the United States and Brazil. The new spacecraft are called the Brasilsat B series, and are widebody, more powerful versions of Hughes Space and Communications Company's popular HS-376 model. EMBRATEL, Brazil's telecommunications company, signed a contract in August 1990 for two spacecraft. In December 1995, with those new satellites in orbit and rapidly filling with customers, EMBRATEL exercised an option for a third spacecraft. A fourth was ordered in June 1998.

Wednesday, 4 February 1998
Ariane 44LP: Inmarsat-3 F5 & Brasilsat B3

Mission Data

Arianespace
🇪🇺ArianespaceEst. 1980
Launch VehicleAriane 44LP
Vehicle FamilyAriane
Vehicle Record25 of 26 launches (96.2%)
Provider TypeCommercial
Agency Record313 successes / 15 failures (95%)
Success Streak16 consecutive
Mission TypeCommunications
Target OrbitGeostationary Orbit
Launch PadAriane Launch Area 2
LocationGuiana Space Centre, French Guiana GUF
Orbital Launches This Year#7
Agency Launches This Year#1
Launches From This Pad119
Launches From This Site336
Status Note

The launch vehicle successfully inserted its payload(s) into the target orbit(s).

About Ariane 44LP

The Ariane 4 was an expendable space launch system, developed by the Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES), the French space agency, for the European Space Agency (ESA). It was manufactured by ArianeGroup and marketed by Arianespace. Since its first flight on 15 June 1988 until the final flight on 15 February 2003, it attained 113 successful launches out of 116 total launches.

Launch Site

Ariane Launch Area 2 · 5.2320°N 52.7782°W

Launch data from Launch Library 2 by The Space Devs.