On 22 April 2011
Intelsat S.A., the world’s leading provider of fixed satellite services, announced that Arianespace successfully launched the Intelsat New Dawn satellite. The Ariane 5 vehicle lifted off from Kourou, French Guiana, at 5:37 p.m. (EDT), followed by spacecraft separation from the launch vehicle at 6:12 p.m. and signal acquisition at 6:29 p.m.
The Intelsat New Dawn satellite is owned by a joint venture between a consortium led by Convergence Partners and Intelsat. The satellite’s 28 C-band and 24 Ku-band 36 MHz transponder units are designed specifically to supply critical communications infrastructure for African customers, who have experienced exceptional growth along with the development of the region.
Operating from a geostationary orbital slot at 32.8° East, Intelsat New Dawn will be ideally positioned to serve Africa through a payload optimized to deliver new capacity for voice, wireless backhaul, fixed line and wireless infrastructure, broadband and media– the fastest growing satellite-based applications in Africa.
Andile Ngcaba, Chairman of Convergence Partners, said, “The satellite will not only deliver crucial services specifically tailored for Africa, it will also herald the dawn of a new era where Africans enjoy far greater involvement in the space communications industry.”
Intelsat New Dawn is the first of eight satellites slated for launch over the next two years and is part of the largest satellite program in Intelsat’s history. The investment program is expected to provide enhanced high-powered capacity to Intelsat’s global fleet. Intelsat’s next launch is expected to be the Intelsat 18 satellite, slated for later in 2011.

Intelsat New Dawn Launch Press Release

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Convergence Partners is pleased to announce that the New Dawn Satellite has been rescheduled to Friday, April 22 at 17:37 p.m. (EDT) 23:37 p.m (SA time).  The satellite, loaded on an Ariane 5 rocket, will be launched from the Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

The launch was initially scheduled to occur on March 30, but was delayed when an abnormal launch vehicle parameter was detected during the automated checkout procedure after startup of the Ariane 5’s cryogenic main engine. The launcher is currently in the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building being prepared for its mission.

New Dawn Press Release

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One week to go to the launch, final preparations are taking place in French Guiana. Update on recent New Dawn activity:

22 March 2011

Technicians from manufacturer, Orbital Sciences Corporation, attached the satellite lift sling to Intelsat New Dawn and handed over the crane operations to launch provider, Arianespace. They lifted the satellite over 100 feet in the air and attached it to the top of the Ariane 5 launcher. Once the satellite was secured onto the adapter, the Orbital technicians powered up the satellite to verify its health. Everything is right on schedule for the 30th of March 2011 launch and the satellite is healthy!

19 March 2011

Today, the Intelsat New Dawn satellite was readied for transport from the Payload Processing Facility (PPF). The satellite is loaded onto the transportation container, which is comprised of two half shells as per attached picture. This “cocoon” will protect the satellite from rain, humidity, and other contamination. Arianespace will transport the cocoon to the Final Assembly Building tonight. On 22 March, the container will be opened up and the satellite will be taken our and lifted via giant crane in order to place it on top of the Ariane 5 launcher.

18 March 2011

The big event of the day was moving the fully-fuelled Intelsat New Dawn satellite and mating it to the Launch Vehicle Adapter (LVA). This LVA is a metal, conical-shaped ring which is the interface between the satellite and the Ariane 5 launcher. This LVA interface holds the satellite securely in place during liftoff. Once the Ariane 5 rocket reaches the drop-off orbit, the adapter has explosive bolts that release a Marman clamp. From there, the satellite is gradually pushed away from the launcher with a mechanical spring. From there, the satellite will complete its orbit-raising to a geosynchronous orbit using its own satellite fuel.

17 March 2011

The Intelsat New Dawn satellite successfully completed all the fueling operations today and will be getting ready to start the combined operations. The satellite weight is 3,000 Kilograms, as per the manufacturer’s exact specification.

Intelsat New Dawn Pictures

The Intelsat New Dawn satellite left Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C., at 9 pm EST on Monday, 28 February, aboard Antonov, the largest transport aircraft in the world. After a six-hour flight, the airplane arrived at Rochambeau airport in Cayenne, French Guiana at 5 am local time on Tuesday, 1 March.

After settling down in the tarmac, the Antonov dramatically flipped up its nose, revealing the shipping container with Intelsat New Dawn inside. A rail system slid the shipping container out of the Antonov and a specially-designed crane loaded it onto a flat bed truck. The loading went smoothly and the spacecraft was ready to be transported to the Guiana Space Center (CSG) around 9 am. Darkness and occasional heavy rain made taking photos and travel a real challenge. The journey of approximately 60 miles took about 2 hours.

The shipping container arrived at building S5 of CSG around 11 am and was moved to the air lock. The spacecraft was removed from the shipping container and lifted to the integration dolly. Orbital began testing at the launch site on Tuesday, 1 March. The Launch Integrated Systems Test (LIST) was conducted to check the health of the spacecraft, beginning with tests on the command and data handling subsystem (C & DH 01).

With only 28 days until launch, the Intelsat New Dawn Satellite was shipped overnight from Washington D.C. to Cayenne, French Guiana. The satellite recently left the Orbital Sciences Corporation manufacturing facility in Dulles, Virginia, and was flown on an Antonov airplane, arriving early morning local time in Cayenne. It will then be transported to Kourou, where it will be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket on 29 March 2011.

See the attached picture of the satellite being loaded for flight from the USA to French Guiana.

ND Satellite in a plane

We are in the final countdown stages of the landmark New Dawn Satellite project, a joint venture between Convergence Partners and Intelsat.

Visit www.intelsatnewdawn.com for countdown clock and regular updates!

About Intelsat New Dawn

Created through a joint venture with a South African investor group lead by Convergence Partners, Intelsat’s New Dawn satellite will be ideally positioned to serve the African continent, and will deliver wireless backhaul services, broadband and television programming.

The Intelsat New Dawn spacecraft will be based on Orbital’s STAR-2 platform. It will generate approximately 4.8 kilowatts of electrical power to support the hybrid C- and Ku-band payload covering Africa with two deployable antennas. Following the launch and completion of its in-orbit testing process, New Dawn will be located at 33 degrees East Longitude.

New Dawn Countdown to African Satellite

The Intelsat New Dawn satellite is scheduled to be launched on 29 March 2011 from Arianespace’s launch site in Kourou, French Guiana. Intelsat New Dawn is the first ever African private sector communications satellite.

A joint-venture between a consortium led by Convergence Partners and Intelsat S.A., the world’s leading provider of fixed satellite services, the New Dawn satellite and its 28 C-band and 24 Ku-band 36 MHz transponder units are designed specifically to supply critical communications infrastructure for African customers. Operating from a geostationary orbital slot at 32.8 degrees East, Intelsat New Dawn will be ideally positioned to serve Africa through a payload optimized to deliver wireless backhaul, broadband and media content – the fastest growing satellite-based applications in Africa.

Delivered on time and within the originally announced $250 million budget, the Intelsat New Dawn venture has been approximately 90% funded from African sources. The Convergence Partners consortium also includes strategic shareholder Altirah Telecoms and the not-for-profit Convergence Partners Foundation.

When placed into service in the second quarter of 2011, Intelsat New Dawn will address the capacity backlog faced by African wireless telecom operators, broadband service providers, corporate network service providers and media operators who have experienced exceptional growth along with the economic development of the region. Customers contracting for capacity in advance of launch are the leading communications services providers in the region, including Vodacom International Ltd, Gateway Communications Africa (UK) Ltd, Bharti Airtel (originally contracted through Celtel Nigeria) and Gilat Satcom.

Thierry Guillemin, Chief Technical Officer of Intelsat, said, “With manufacturing of the satellite now concluding, our team transitions its focus to the launch mission in French Guiana. We will conduct tests on-site as the final preparations for this historic satellite are completed.”

Andile Ngcaba, Chairman of Convergence Partners, said, “With a launch slot secured for Intelsat New Dawn, we are now on the cusp of seeing this landmark venture become a reality. The project has been in development for five years, with the last two-and–a-half focusing on construction. When launched, the satellite will not only deliver crucial services specifically tailored for Africa, it will also herald the dawn of a new era where Africans enjoy far greater involvement in the space communications industry.”

Commissioned in December 2008 and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, the hybrid C-band/Ku- band satellite will be operated and marketed as a part of the global Intelsat fleet, bringing to 22 the number of Intelsat satellites serving Africa. Arianespace was selected as the launch partner and will use the most powerful version in the Ariane 5 range, the Ariane 5 ECA (Cryogenic Evolution type A), for this dual payload mission of the Intelsat New Dawn and Yahsat 1A telecommunications satellites. The Ariane 5 launcher for the Intelsat New Dawn satellite recently arrived at the Spaceport in French Guiana, where it is being readied for the mission.

For more details on Intelsat New Dawn and to view frequent updates leading up to the launch, please visit www.intelsatnewdawn.com.

About Intelsat New Dawn

Initially announced in December 2008, the US$250 million project is funded approximately 15% with equity and 85% with debt. African institutions are providing approximately 90% of the total financing required for the joint venture and Intelsat will contribute the balance. Nedbank Capital, part of the Nedbank Group (one of South Africa’s largest banking groups) and a leading telecom project financier in South Africa, has arranged the non-recourse debt financing. A consortium of lenders including Nedbank, the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa and the African Development Bank will provide the debt funding. The equity is provided by Intelsat (74.9%) and the Convergence Partners- led group (25.1%), which also includes Altirah Telecoms and the not-for-profit Convergence Partners Foundation.

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New Dawn press release 16 Feb 2011 FINAL

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Convergence Partners recently visited Washington, DC and had the opportunity to spend time with New Dawn joint venture partner, Intelsat, and to see the New Dawn craft in advanced stages of construction, at the premises of craft manufacturer, Orbital Sciences Corporation. David Frankel of Altirah Capital, partner in the New Dawn venture, joined Convergence Partners’ Chairman, Andile Ngcaba, and Executive, Idan Segal.

New Dawn is a joint venture between Intelsat, the global leader in fixed satellite services, and an African consortium led by Convergence Partners, to create a new geostationary communications satellite for Africa. This first of its kind venture has a 25% African shareholding and is more than 90% financed by African institutions, including Nedbank, The African Development Bank and the Industrial Development Corporation.

The satellite is due for completion during Q4 2010, at which time it will be delivered to the launch site in French Guiana. Launch is scheduled for Q1 2011, whereafter the satellite will commence operating, providing much needed capacity for the African telecommunications and broadcasting sectors.

After the tour, Andile Ngcaba, said “it is both fascinating and very rewarding to see the physical New Dawn craft, after so many years of conceptualising and planning. I have no doubt it will make a difference to the continuing African growth story”.

See attached photographs of the New Dawn satellite in construction