The placement of decals on Ariane 5’s payload fairing for Flight VA223 is shown in this photo series. At left, the DIRECTV logo is positioned on the fairing’s upper section, followed by the SKY logo under it (middle photo). Visible below the SKY logo is a decal for Kourou, recognizing its current presidency of the Community of Ariane Cities. The photo at right provides an overview of the fairing with the logos installed

[SatNews] Despite the intensity of building a launch vehicle there is a basic and equally important aspect—marketing—and attaching the famous logos.

Continuing Arianespace’s practice of spotlighting its customers with high-visibility placement of logos on their launch vehicle’s fairing, decals have been added for Flight VA223’s spacecraft and their operators: DIRECTV in the U.S. for DirecTV-15, and Mexico-based SKY for SKY México-1 – along with a recognition of Kourou, French Guiana as the “home city” to the Spaceport launch base. 

Ariane 5’s payload fairing protects the launcher’s passengers during atmospheric flight, and is jettisoned approximately three minutes after

liftoff.  The ogive-shaped structure is produced in two half-shells, using aluminum honeycomb cores and carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) face-sheets for a combination of low mass and high stiffness.



Also affixed on the fairing for Flight VA223 is a logo for Kourou, the French Guiana city that has grown in size and importance with the  nearby Spaceport’s development into a world-leading launch facility. 



Kourou currently holds the presidency of the Community of Ariane Cities, a non-profit association founded in 1998 to strengthen the cooperation  among cities and industrial organizations involved in European space transportation programs, as well as to inform citizens about the benefits of

Europe’s space transportation activities.  



The Community of Ariane Cities is being recognized as well on Flight VA223 with the association’s logo inclusion on the payload fairing.



Flight VA223 is scheduled for a May 27 liftoff from French Guiana, departing from the Spaceport’s ELA-3 launch complex that is used for missions with Arianespace’s workhorse Ariane 5.