Arabsat has selected a consortium of Astrium and Thales Alenia Space to build and deliver in orbit its 5th generation satellites. Astrium, the leading partner, supplies the Eurostar E3000 platforms and integrates the satellites. Thales Alenia Space designs and builds the communications payloads. The team also upgrades the ground control segment for the extended Arabsat satellite fleet. The two first satellites, Arabsat-5A and Arabsat-5B/Badr-5 ordered in 2007, are now in service. Two more satellites, Arabsat 5C and 6B, were subsequently ordered in 2009.

Arabsat-5A, a multi-mission satellite, launched on 26 June 2010 on board an Ariane 5, took over from Arabsat-2B and provides additional capacity at 30.5° E for a large range of satellite communications services such as television backhauling and broadcasting, telephony, business communications, Internet trunking and the provision of VSAT and other interactive services, over sub-Saharan Africa, the North-Africa and Middle East (MENA) region, and beyond. A Eurostar E3000 model, equipped with a payload featuring 26 transponders in C-band and 24 in Ku-band, Arabsat-5A had a launch mass of 4,800kg and has a spacecraft power of 12kW with a designed lifetime of 15 years.

Badr-5 (technically Arabsat-5B), launched on 4 June 2010 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome (Kazakhstan) on board a Proton launcher, is co-located with the rest of Arabsat's Badr constellation of Direct-To-Home satellites at its 26° E video ‘hot-spot’, primarily providing full in-orbit back-up capacity both for Badr-4 and Badr-6 television services, covering a stretched zone encompassing the entire Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and beyond. Complementary missions include supporting the expected boom of HD-TV and, thanks to its Ka-band capacity, the development of new sophisticated interactive television services from broadcasters. A Eurostar E3000 model, equipped with a payload featuring 56 active transponders in Ku-band and Ka-band, Badr-5 had a launch mass of 5,400kg and has a spacecraft power of 14kW with a designed lifetime of 15 years.

Arabsat-5C, a multi-mission satellite, will provide satellite capacity in both C- and Ka-band frequencies at the Arabsat position 20° E for a wide range of satellite communications services. A Eurostar E3000 model equipped with a payload featuring 26 active transponders in C-band and 12 in Ka-band, Arabsat-5C will have a spacecraft power of 10kW at the end of its 15-year design lifetime.

Badr-7 (technically Arabsat-6B) will be co-located with the rest of Arabsat's Badr constellation of Direct-To-Home satellites at its 26° E video ‘hot-spot’, extending in-orbit capacity for television services. Also a Eurostar E3000 model, equipped with a payload featuring 36 active transponders in Ku-band, Arabsat-6B will have a spacecraft power of 10.5kW at the end of its 15-year design lifetime.

Find details of Arabsat-5A launch in the launch kit.