 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Ariane 5 Launcher And Payload Preparations Advance
Paris, France (SPX) Jul 22, 2009 Arianespace has received its fourth Ariane 5 for launch in 2009, while the first of two payloads for this upcoming mission is now at the Spaceport for final preparation. The heavy-lift Ariane 5 ECA was delivered last Friday to the Spaceport's Final Assembly Building by EADS Astrium - the launch vehicle's industrial prime contractor, which was responsible for the Ariane 5's build-up in the Launcher Integration Building. Its transfer to the final assembly facility clears the way for Arianespace's integration of the mission's dual-satellite payload, followed by launch operations leading to a mid-August liftoff. As the launch vehicle activity enters a new phase, the mission's JCSAT-12 spacecraft has entered pre-launch checkout in the Spaceport's payload preparation facility. Built in the U.S. by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems, JCSAT-12 arrived in French Guiana over the weekend aboard a chartered cargo jetliner. The high-power hybrid JCSAT-12 satellite is based on Lockheed Martin's A2100 spacecraft bus, and carries 30 active Ku-band transponders and 12 active C-band transponders for coverage of Japan, the Asia-Pacific region and Hawaii. It will be operated by SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation - one of Asia's largest satellite operators, and Japan's only provider of both multi-channel pay TV broadcasting and satellite communications services. Joining JCSAT-12 on Arianespace's mid-August launch will be Optus D3, an Orbital Sciences Corporation-built spacecraft for Australia's Optus, which will handle direct TV broadcast, Internet, telephony and data transmission services across Australia and New Zealand. Arianespace is on track for a record Ariane 5 mission pace in 2009, with seven flights planned for its workhorse vehicle. The three Ariane 5 missions already performed this year have orbited a total of seven spacecraft with a combined payload mass of nearly 19,600 kg. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Arianespace Launch Pad at Space-Travel.com
Integration Of Ariane 5 CompletedParis, France (SPX) Jun 29, 2009 The Ariane 5 for Arianespace's upcoming heavy-lift mission is now complete following its payload fairing's installation over the TerreStar-1 payload - which will be the world's largest commercial telecommunications satellite ever orbited. During activity on Wednesday (June 24) in the launcher Final Assembly Building at Europe's Spaceport, the fairing was lowered into place over ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2009 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook