Ariane 42L | Satmex 5

SATMEX 5 is a Hughes HS-601HP or "high power" version of the body-stabilized spacecraft. It features more than 7,000 Watts of payload power, at least 10 times the capacity of Morelos II. Through such innovations as dual-junction gallium arsenide solar cells, radiation-cooled traveling-wave tube amplifiers (TWTAs), advanced battery technology, and a xenon ion propulsion system, XIPS, the HS-601HP can carry payloads twice as powerful as those on the HS 601 models, with an expected 15-year mission lifetime.

Mission Details

  • Launch date: December 6, 1998 at 12:43 AM UTC
  • Launch vehicle: Ariane 42L
  • Operator: Arianespace
  • Launch site: Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
  • Mission type: Communications