Volga-Dnepr Airlines has transported three more space satellites to the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana in support of its long-standing partnership with Bollore Logistics and Thales Alenia Space.
It was the first time Volga-Dnepr used new lightweight and easier-to-stow aluminium extension ramps to load and unload satellites, which weigh less and take up less space when stowed in the aircraft, increasing volume and payload for cargo.
The first flight for Bollore and Thales delivered the Telkom 3S satellite, built for Telkom Indonesia and launched on 14 February, followed by a 13-hour Antonov AN-124-100 Freighter flight from Nice to Cayenne carrying Brazil’s SGDC satellite and South Korea’s Koreasat 7 telecommunications satellite.
Volga-Dnepr customer service manager, Matthew Thear says: “Our long partnership with Bolloré Logistics and Thales Alenia Space means we have great experience and finely-tuned processes in place to move highly sensitive satellite technology.”
“This includes minute-by-minute monitoring of temperature, pressure and vibration in flight. However, we are always looking for ways to advance the services we provide, and the latest development of the new loading equipment is further proof of that.”
