Arianespace's heavy-lift Ariane 5 ECA is ready for launch

Arianespace's heavy-lift Ariane 5 ECA is ready for launch

Preparations for Arianespace's dual-satellite Ariane 5 ECA mission moved
into their final phase today as the heavy-lift vehicle was transferred to
the ELA-3 launch zone at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.

Riding atop its massive mobile launch table, Ariane 5 rolled out from then
Spaceport's assembly building under sunny French Guiana skies and made its
2.8-km. journey to the launch zone. The transfer process was completed when
the launch table was locked in position over large flame ducts for the
vehicle's two solid rocket motors and the core stage Vulcain cryogenic main
engine.

Liftoff of the Ariane 5 is set for a 45-minute launch window that opens
tomorrow evening (Nov. 12) at 8:45 p.m. (23h45 GMT; 7:45 p.m. in Washington,
D.C.; and 00:45 a.m. on November 13 in Paris, France).

This flight will demonstrate the Ariane 5 ECA's lift capability, as the
combined mass of its two payloads - Spaceway 2 for DIRECT TV and Telkom 2
for PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia - totals more than 8,000 kg.

With a payload capacity of nearly 10,000 kg. on missions to geostationary
transfer orbit, Ariane 5 is the only commercial vehicle that can launch two
mainstream telecommunications satellite payloads on the same mission.


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Jacques :-)

www.spacepatches.info