On Saturday, June 18, Ariane 5 completed a flawless launch from Europe’s spaceport at the Guiana Space Centre, orbiting two telecommunications satellites, Echostar 18 for DISH Network and BRIsat for Bank Rakyat Indonesia. The flight marked the European launcher’s 72nd straight success since 2003.

With a launch mass of 6.3 tonnes, Echostar 18 is a telecommunications satellite built by Space Systems Loral (SSL) for DISH Network. DISH serves a base of 14 million pay-TV subscribers with a line-up of more than 200 national HD channels plus international channels and HD and DVR technologies. Echostar 18 will augment DISH’s existing fleet covering the Americas, assuring the highest level of ongoing service to its customers. The satellite has an expected service life of 15 years.

With a launch mass of 3.5 tonnes, BRIsat is a telecommunications satellite built by Space Systems Loral (SSL) for Bank Rakyat Indonesia. BRIsat will serve as a dedicated platform for banking communications across the Indonesian archipelago, making Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) one of the first banks in the world to orbit its own telecommunications satellite. The satellite has an expected service life of 15 years.