Jacques van Oene
November 15th 05, 11:19 PM
November 15, 2005
Liftoff of the Ariane 5 ECA is set for Nov. 16
Arianespace's Ariane 5 ECA returned to the launch zone today, allowing the
final countdown to resume for a liftoff tomorrow night with a heavyweight
dual satellite payload.
Ariane 5 rolled out of the final assembly building at 10:30 a.m. and
completed its 2.8-km. transfer to the ELA-3 launch zone in 60 minutes. The
vehicle rode atop its massive launch table, which is now locked in place
over large flame ducts for the vehicle's two solid rocket motors and its
core stage Vulcain cryogenic main engine.
Liftoff of the Ariane 5 ECA with the Spaceway 2 and Telkom 2 satellites is
set for a 45-minute launch window that opens tomorrow evening (Nov. 16) at
8:46 p.m. (23h46 GMT; 7:46 p.m. in Washington, D.C.; and 00:46 a.m. on
November 17 in Paris, France).
The mission's Boeing-built Spaceway 2 will enable U.S. operator DIRECTV to
bring local high-definition programming to most of the American population,
as well as expand its standard-definition local offerings.
The Telkom 2 satellite to be lofted by Ariane 5 is an Orbital Sciences
Corporation STAR 2 spacecraft platform, and it will be used by Indonesia's
PT Telkom to expand its satellite communications coverage area into the
ASEAN region and the Indian subcontinent.
This launch originally had been set for November 12, but was postponed hours
before the scheduled liftoff to resolve minor problems involving the mobile
launch table. As a result, the table and its Ariane 5 were moved from the
ELA-3 launch zone back into the final assembly building, where the repairs
were made.
Tomorrow's flight will demonstrate the Ariane 5 ECA's heavy-lift capability,
as the combined mass of its two payloads 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.
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info
Liftoff of the Ariane 5 ECA is set for Nov. 16
Arianespace's Ariane 5 ECA returned to the launch zone today, allowing the
final countdown to resume for a liftoff tomorrow night with a heavyweight
dual satellite payload.
Ariane 5 rolled out of the final assembly building at 10:30 a.m. and
completed its 2.8-km. transfer to the ELA-3 launch zone in 60 minutes. The
vehicle rode atop its massive launch table, which is now locked in place
over large flame ducts for the vehicle's two solid rocket motors and its
core stage Vulcain cryogenic main engine.
Liftoff of the Ariane 5 ECA with the Spaceway 2 and Telkom 2 satellites is
set for a 45-minute launch window that opens tomorrow evening (Nov. 16) at
8:46 p.m. (23h46 GMT; 7:46 p.m. in Washington, D.C.; and 00:46 a.m. on
November 17 in Paris, France).
The mission's Boeing-built Spaceway 2 will enable U.S. operator DIRECTV to
bring local high-definition programming to most of the American population,
as well as expand its standard-definition local offerings.
The Telkom 2 satellite to be lofted by Ariane 5 is an Orbital Sciences
Corporation STAR 2 spacecraft platform, and it will be used by Indonesia's
PT Telkom to expand its satellite communications coverage area into the
ASEAN region and the Indian subcontinent.
This launch originally had been set for November 12, but was postponed hours
before the scheduled liftoff to resolve minor problems involving the mobile
launch table. As a result, the table and its Ariane 5 were moved from the
ELA-3 launch zone back into the final assembly building, where the repairs
were made.
Tomorrow's flight will demonstrate the Ariane 5 ECA's heavy-lift capability,
as the combined mass of its two payloads 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.
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info