Photos: HYLAS 4 Prepares for Liftoff atop Ariane 5

HYLAS 4 – a high-throughput communications satellite built by Orbital ATK for Avanti Communications – arrives at the Guiana Space Center for final processing in preparation for liftoff atop the second Ariane 5 of 2018. Paired with the semi-secret Superbird 8 / DSN-1 satellite from Japan, HYLAS 4 is set for a 34-minute climb into Geostationary Transfer Orbit on Europe’s workhorse rocket. Preparations for launch included final checkouts, propellant loading and integration as part of the dual-satellite payload stack followed by the installation of the protective payload fairing. Photos of Superbird 8 processing are not available given its military role in Japan’s DSN communications system.

All Photos: Arianespace / ESA / CNES / Optique Video du CSG