It was launched from French Guiana aboard an Ariane 5ECA carrier rocket at 22:05:02 GMT on 12 June 2008.

Originally built as a ground spare satellite, the decision to launch was made in 2007.

It was constructed by EADS Astrium under a contract to its subsidiary company Paradigm Secure Communications, who will operate the satellite on behalf of the MoD.

Based on the Eurostar E3000 satellite bus, it has a mass of 4,700 kilograms, and an expected on-orbit lifetime of 15 years.

[2] Skynet 5C is part of a constellation of communications satellites for the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense that supports nuclear hardened and protected military X-band and UHF frequency capabilities.