Antonov transports Maxar-built satellite for launch by SpaceX
Ukrainian Antonov Airlines delivers aerospace components by air safely to launch facilities at Cape Canaveral
Antonov Airlines transported an Intelsat commercial satellite on board of one of its AN-124-100M aircraft from Moffett Federal Airfield, Mountain View, California, U.S.A to NASA’s Shuttle Landing Facility in Titusville, Florida, U.S.A for a launch by the U.S. aerospace company SpaceX.
"The cargo with total weight of more than 55,000 kilograms consisted of eight pieces including Intelsat 40e (IS-40e) satellite and its hosted payload in a container measuring 1,280 cm in length, 488 cm in width and 419 cm in height, along with associated parts and support equipment. To оnload and offload cargo, a special Antonov-made ramp system was used in conjunction with onboard winches and cranes as well as external cranes," says an official release.
Virginia Lloyd, Director, Global Logistics and Warehouse Management, Maxar says: “Due to the nature of the cargo, AN-124-100 is the only aircraft available that can haul the size and weight (approx. 36,000 kg) of the spacecraft shipping container. In addition, the AN-124-100 does not require special ground support equipment to load and unload the cargo."
Intelsat IS-40e will provide focused coverage over North America for commercial aviation, maritime, land mobility and networks customers, and its hosted payload, a NASA instrument called Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO), will observe air pollution across North America, the release added.
“The satellite was assembled and tested at Maxar and then delivered to the Cape Canaveral launch site," says Iryna Kyianytsia, Commercial Executive, Antonov Airlines. "Customers needed sufficient processing lead time for the scheduled launch by a Falcon 9 rocket. Thus, surface transportation was not a viable option to meet the launch schedule. Therefore, air transportation by AN-124-100M was the best option to deliver this high-value satellite on time."
The IS-40e satellite and TEMPO launched aboard SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on April 7, 2023, the release said.
