Jacques van Oene
November 22nd 05, 04:04 PM
November 21, 2005
Another Ariane 5 is readied at Europe's Spaceport
The Ariane 5 Generic for Arianespace's next mission is taking shape at
Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana as preparations move forward for a
scheduled launch in the second half of December.
Build-up of the vehicle began with the removal of Ariane 5's cryogenic
central stage from its protective shipping container, followed by the
stage's vertical orientation inside the Spaceport's vehicle assembly
building. The stage was then hoisted into positioned over the mobile launch
table, where it will be mated with the two solid rocket motors.
The cryogenic stage is core of Ariane 5's propulsion system. Powered by the
Vulcain main engine, the stage is ignited first on the launch pad - and once
its power-up is validated by computers, the ignition order is given for the
two solid rocket motors.
Both the cryogenic stage and the two rocket motors provide the necessary
climb-out thrust for Ariane 5's initial ascent. The rocket motors are
jettisoned at about 2 minutes into the flight, while the cryogenic stage
continues to burn for approximately 7 more minutes. The mission's final
propulsive phase is handed by the storable propellant upper stage, which
delivers the satellite passengers into geostationary transfer orbit.
The December flight will mark another dual-payload mission for Ariane 5,
which will carry the no. 2 Meteosat Second Generation (MSG-2) meteorological
satellite for Europe, along with the INSAT 4A telecommunications spacecraft
for the Indian Space Research Organisation. Both satellites are undergoing
their final checkout in the Spaceport's S5 payload preparation facility.
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info
Another Ariane 5 is readied at Europe's Spaceport
The Ariane 5 Generic for Arianespace's next mission is taking shape at
Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana as preparations move forward for a
scheduled launch in the second half of December.
Build-up of the vehicle began with the removal of Ariane 5's cryogenic
central stage from its protective shipping container, followed by the
stage's vertical orientation inside the Spaceport's vehicle assembly
building. The stage was then hoisted into positioned over the mobile launch
table, where it will be mated with the two solid rocket motors.
The cryogenic stage is core of Ariane 5's propulsion system. Powered by the
Vulcain main engine, the stage is ignited first on the launch pad - and once
its power-up is validated by computers, the ignition order is given for the
two solid rocket motors.
Both the cryogenic stage and the two rocket motors provide the necessary
climb-out thrust for Ariane 5's initial ascent. The rocket motors are
jettisoned at about 2 minutes into the flight, while the cryogenic stage
continues to burn for approximately 7 more minutes. The mission's final
propulsive phase is handed by the storable propellant upper stage, which
delivers the satellite passengers into geostationary transfer orbit.
The December flight will mark another dual-payload mission for Ariane 5,
which will carry the no. 2 Meteosat Second Generation (MSG-2) meteorological
satellite for Europe, along with the INSAT 4A telecommunications spacecraft
for the Indian Space Research Organisation. Both satellites are undergoing
their final checkout in the Spaceport's S5 payload preparation facility.
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info