This mission will launch two satellites: JCSAT-17 and GEO-KOMPSAT 2B.

JCSAT-17

Built by Lockheed Martin for SKY Perfect JSAT Group Japan, JCSAT-17 will be a geostationary telecommunications satellite dedicated to disaster relief efforts and high-volume communication events.

It was ordered on February 3, 2016, and the launch vehicle was chosen 11 months later on January 4, 2017.

The satellite has a planned 15 year operational life, and will communicate through S-band transponders with a flexible processor to allow for rapid redirect capability during natural disaster response operations.

The S-band of the communications spectrum is most commonly used in our everyday lives to weather radar, airport surveillance radar, and air traffic control.

NASA used the S-band to communicate with the Space Shuttles during launch and landing operations, and still uses part of the S-band to talk to the International Space Station.

GEO-KOMPSAT 2B

A South Korean meteorological satellite, GEO-KOMPSAT 2B is the twin of GEO-KOMPSAT 2A that was launched on an Ariane 5 rocket on December 4, 2018.

It will monitor Earth's oceans and perform environmental monitoring via the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager-II and Environmental monitor sensor payloads onboard.

The satellite will be stationed at the 128° East longitude location 35,786 km directly above Earth's equator.

GEO-KOMPSAT 2B has a mass of 3,200 kg and is built to last at least 10 years.

Image: GEO-KOMPSAT 2B from ESA

Meet the European Space Agency's heavy-lift, workhorse rocket.

Ariane 5 is operated by Arianespace and carries a per launch price tag of approximately $168 million (USD). However, Arianespace offers ride-shares for two large payloads on the same mission.

Stats

Height: 46–52 m (151–171 ft)

Diameter: 5.4 m (18 ft)

Mass: 777,000 kg (1,713,000 lb)

Stages: 2

The two payloads ride one on top of the other, with the upper payload customer paying $101 million (USD) and the lower payload customer paying $67 million (USD).

This makes the price of an Ariane 5 launch competitive with other heavy-lift rockets from a "what the customer pays" perspective.

Ariane 5 debuted on June 4th, 1996, and has undergone five upgrades over the years.

Of those five variants, one remains in operation: the Ariane 5 ECA (Evolution Cryotechnique type A).

Over its service life, the rocket has launched hundreds of satellites as well as five cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station.

Arianespace and the European Space Agency are in the process of building Ariane 5's successor, Ariane 6, which will be more affordable than Ariane 5.

At this time, the rocket will fly until at least 2023.

Photo: An Ariane 5 lifts off from South America. Credit: Arianespace

ELA-3 (Ensemble de Lancement Ariane 3) is a launch pad built specially for the Ariane 5 rocket - the European Space Agency's (ESA's) and Arianespace's heavy-lift workhorse.

Built in the mid-1990s, it was first used on June 4th, 1996, for the maiden launch of Ariane 5.

ELA-3 is located in the Guiana Space Centre (French: Centre Spatial Guyanais), a French and European spaceport located near Kourou in French Guiana near the northern tip of South America.

The space centre itself has been operational since 1968 and has hosted launches for the ESA, the French National Centre for Space Studies, and commercial companies Arianespace and Azercosmos.

A total of 9 different rockets types have launched from the Guiana Space Centre, including three active rockets and six retired vehicles.

The current rocket fleet at the space center is comprised of the Ariane 5 for heavy payloads, the Russian-provided Soyuz 2.1 for medium-mass payloads, and Vega for smaller satellites.