TerreStar-1, which weighed in at almost seven tonnes at launch, was built for TerreStar Networks and will provide voice, messaging and data connections to the North American market.

Lloyd’s and some non Lloyd’s companies insured the launch, as well as the satellite’s first year in orbit.

Ariane 5 ECA mission with TerreStar-1, (1 July 2009), image courtesy of www.arianespace.com

The satellite was so hefty it was the only passenger on Ariane which usually carries double payloads from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.

Built by Space Systems/Loral, TerreStar-1 has a huge deployable reflector antenna, measuring 18m across. Furled like an umbrella for launch, it will be deployed in the next couple of weeks in a procedure that should take about four hours.

TerreStar-1 is the business end of an integrated space and terrestrial service for which customers will use a so-called sat phone. Unlike the bulky kit normally associated with sat phones, TerreStar’s handset will be about the size of a Blackberry Curve.

“It will work on a terrestrial network as a normal cell phone would, and when you’re out of range or the network’s down for whatever reason, it will go to the satellite,” TerreStar president Jeff Epstein told BBC News.

Early adopters are expected to be government, emergency services, rural communities and commercial users.
Wednesday’s launch was the third of the year for Ariane. Four more Ariane flights are planned this year.