Two Ariane 5s take shape at the Spaceport

[Jacques van Oene]

Flight 166 & 167 - May 3, 2005

Two Ariane 5s take shape at the Spaceport

Activity at the Spaceport is in full swing as preparations move forward for
two upcoming Ariane 5 launches from French Guiana.

The Ariane 5 Generic vehicle for Flight 166 has been transferred to the
Spaceport's Final Assembly Building, readying it for the installation of
mission's satellite payload and freeing up the Launcher Integration Building
for the startup of assembly with another Ariane 5.

As soon as Ariane 5 had left the Launcher Integration Building, the
cryogenic core central stage for Flight 167's Ariane 5 was erected on its
launch table - formally initiating this second active mission campaign.

Arianespace's ability to conduct two missions in parallel is part of the
designed-in flexibility at Ariane 5's modern ELA-3 launch complex.

The vehicle build-up process begins in the Launcher Integration Building,
where an Ariane 5's cryogenic core stage and solid rocket motors are mated
atop a mobile launch table. This is followed by installation of the vehicle
equipment bay (which carries the power distribution system, flight control
unit, telemetry system and other flight guidance components), and the upper
stage.

The nearly complete launcher is then rolled out on its mobile launch table
to the Final Assembly Building, where the satellite passengers are installed
and encapsulated in Ariane's protective payload fairing.

With Flight 166's Ariane 5 now in the Final Assembly Building on one launch
table and Flight 167's Ariane 5 taking shape in the Launcher Integration
Building on the second table, Arianespace is ready to meet its plans of
performing four Ariane 5 missions during the upcoming months.

This will enable the company to orbit as many as seven payloads - meeting
the delivery availability of its customers' spacecraft.


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Jacques :-)

www.spacepatches.info