HYLAS-4 is a

telecommunications satellite A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a receiver at different locations on Earth. ...

owned and operated by

Avanti Communications Avanti Communications is a UK based satellite operator, selling wholesale satellite broadband and satellite connectivity services to Internet Service Providers, Mobile Network Operators, Enterprises, Governments and other satellite operators. The ...

and manufactured by

Orbital ATK Orbital ATK Inc. was an American aerospace manufacturer and defense industry company. It was formed in February 9, 2015 from the merger of Orbital Sciences Corporation and parts of Alliant Techsystems (ATK). Orbital ATK designed, built, and de ...

(now

Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems Orbital ATK Inc. was an American aerospace manufacturer and defense industry company. It was formed in February 9, 2015 from the merger of Orbital Sciences Corporation and parts of Alliant Techsystems (ATK). Orbital ATK designed, built, and deli ...

) that was launched by an

Ariane 5 Ariane 5 is a retired European heavy-lift space launch vehicle operated by Arianespace for the European Space Agency (ESA). It was launched from the Guiana Space Centre (CSG) in French Guiana. It was used to deliver payloads into geostationar ...

rocket on 5 April 2018.

Mission

The satellite is built to provide high speed data transmission services to Africa, Latin America and Europe. It is based on Orbital ATK's Star-3 Bus, delivering 64 28 GHz fixed beams covering Africa and parts of Europe. There are also four independent steerable beams that can serve Africa, South America and Europe. The capacity will partially be used to allow Avanti to expand into new markets and provide growth for existing markets.

Launch

The satellite was launched into

geosynchronous orbit A geosynchronous orbit (sometimes abbreviated GSO) is an Earth-centered orbit with an orbital period that matches Earth's rotation on its axis, 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds (one sidereal day). The synchronization of rotation and orbital ...

Arianespace Arianespace SA is a French company founded in March 1980 as the world's first commercial launch service provider. It operates two launch vehicles: Vega C, a Small-lift launch vehicle, small-lift rocket, and Ariane 6, a Medium-lift launch vehicl ...

on an Ariane 5 rocket in its ECA variant from

ELA-3 ELA-3 () is a launch complex at the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. The complex was first used in June 1996 in support of the now retired Ariane 5 Ariane 5 is a retired European heavy-lift space launch vehicle operated by Arianespac ...

Guiana Space Centre The Guiana Space Centre (; CSG), also called Europe's Spaceport, is a spaceport to the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana, an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas region of France in South America. Kourou is located approxim ...

French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...

. The launch was originally planned in early 2017 but has been delayed to 21 March 2018, and then to 5 April 2018. The satellite reached its geostationary orbital position by 19 April 2018.

References

{{Orbital launches in 2018 Spacecraft launched in 2018 Ariane commercial payloads Communications satellites in geostationary orbit Communications satellites of the United Kingdom 2018 in the United Kingdom