Antonov Airlines, a leading global operator of An-124-100 Ruslan heavy lift aircraft with a carrying capacity of 150 tonnes, has ensured transportation of the new Al Yah 3 communications satellite of U.S. Orbital ATK weighing 23 tonnes from Washington to the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana (South America).
The press service of Antonov State Enterprise reported that Al Yah 3 spacecraft, one of the satellites created by Orbital ATK on the basis of the GEOStar-3 modern platform, was placed to a container of 11.4 meters long, 4.6 meters wide and 4.1 meters high.
According to open sources, the launch of Al Yah 3 spacecraft using Ariane 5 launch vehicle (LV) is scheduled for January 25 from the Kourou spaceport.
Antonov Airlines Director of Sales for North America Amnon Ehrlich said that the spacecraft was transported using a low-profile ramp system specifically designed and manufactured by Antonov State Enterprise for the satellite and space transportation sector, to safely and efficiently load and offload the satellite.
“We are honored to have been selected as the transport partner for this project, which further illustrates Antonov Airlines’ commitment to its customers and excellence in delivering outsized high-value aerospace equipment worldwide,” he said.
According to the report, recently Antonov Airlines opened a new base in Houston (Texas, the United States).
