The Ariane 5 for Arianespace’s fifth heavy-lift mission of 2013 arrives in French Guiana
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With Kourou’s famous Dreyfus Tower in the foreground, the MN Toucan roll-on/roll-off ship arrives in French Guiana with Ariane 5 launcher components for Arianespace’s Flight VA216.
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Another heavy-lift Ariane 5 has been delivered to French Guiana as Arianespace maintains its commercial mission pace in 2013 with the company’s launcher family.
The latest Ariane 5 was delivered yesterday by the MN Toucan, which is one of two roll-on/roll-off (RO/RO) ships that transport Arianespace’s Soyuz, Ariane 5 and Vega vehicles from Europe to the company’s South America operating base. Its elements were unloaded at Pariacabo Port adjacent to the city of Kourou, positioning them for the transfer by road to the nearby Spaceport.
This new launcher will be used for Flight VA216 – the fifth mission planned in 2013 with the workhorse Ariane 5 from French Guiana. Previous heavy-lift flights performed during the year were Flight VA214, which orbited the Alphasat and INSAT-3D satellites on July 25; Flight VA213, carrying the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) Albert Einstein on June 5; and Flight VA212, orbiting the Amazonas 3 and Azerspace/Africasat-1a spacecraft on February 7.
Arianespace’s next Ariane 5 launch, designated Flight VA215, is targeted for August 29 to orbit the Eutelsat 25B/Es’hail-1 and GSAT-7 payloads. Initial vehicle build-up has been completed at the Spaceport’s Launcher Integration Building for Ariane 5, readying it for rollout to the Final Assembly Building. Once this move occurs, the Launcher Integration Building will be available for assembly start-up with the newly-delivered Ariane 5 for Flight VA216.
In addition to the heavy-lift Ariane 5 launch activity during 2013 at the Spaceport, Arianespace also performed a Vega mission from French Guiana on May 7, which carried the Proba-V, VNREDSat-1 and ESTCube-1 spacecraft; and a June 25 flight with Soyuz that lofted a cluster of four O3b Networks satellites.
Completing Arianespace’s activity to date was a Soyuz flight from Baikonur Cosmodrome, performed on February 6 by the company’s Starsem affiliate.
Quelle: arianespace
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Update: 2.10.2013
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December lauch for SES and Hispasat
The Ariane 5 for Arianespace’s next dual-payload heavy-lift mission has begun its assembly at the Spaceport for a mid-December launch with satellites from SES and Hispasat.
As with the 71 Ariane 5s previously launched from French Guiana, this vehicle’s build-up employed a well-established integration flow, with the core cryogenic stage being positioned over one of two operational launch tables, followed by rollout and mating of the two solid propellant boosters.
These steps will be followed by positioning of the cryogenic upper stage and vehicle equipment bay as a single unit atop the core stage, completing the initial assembly process in the Spaceport’s Launcher Integration Building. The Ariane 5 then will be transferred to the Final Assembly Building for installation of both satellite passengers.
The December mission is designated Flight VA216 in Arianespace’s launcher family numbering system, representing the 216th liftoff of an Ariane since this series of vehicles began operation in 1979.
Riding in the upper position of Ariane 5′s payload “stack” will be Astra 5B, which is to extend SES’ transponder capacity and geographical reach over Eastern European and neighboring markets for direct-to-home, direct-to-cable and contribution feeds to digital terrestrial television networks.
Built by Astrium, Astra 5B also carries a hosted L-band payload for the European Commission’s European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS). With a design lifetime of 15 years, Astra 5B will have an estimated liftoff mass of 5,800 kg. and is to be positioned at an orbital location of 31.5 degrees East.
The lower passenger on Arianespace’s Flight VA216 is Hispasat’s Amazonas 4A, to be located at an orbital position 61 deg. West after its deployment by the Ariane 5. This Orbital Sciences Corporation-produced telecommunications platform will enhance Hispasat’s relay capacity over Latin America to provide an extended range of communications and television services. With a launch mass of 3,000 kg., Amazonas 4A has a design lifespan of 15 years.
Quelle: BROADBAND TV
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Update: 3.10.2013
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Ariane Flight VA216
The Ariane 5 for Arianespace’s next dual-payload heavy-lift mission has begun its assembly at the Spaceport for a mid-December launch with telecommunications satellites from two established customers: Luxembourg-based SES and Spain’s HISPASAT.
As with the 71 Ariane 5s previously launched from French Guiana, this vehicle’s build-up employed a well-established integration flow, with the core cryogenic stage being positioned over one of two operational launch tables, followed by rollout and mating of the two solid propellant boosters.
These steps will be followed by positioning of the cryogenic upper stage and vehicle equipment bay as a single unit atop the core stage, completing the initial assembly process in the Spaceport’s Launcher Integration Building. The Ariane 5 then will be transferred to the Final Assembly Building for installation of both satellite passengers.
The December mission is designated Flight VA216 in Arianespace’s launcher family numbering system, representing the 216th liftoff of an Ariane since this series of vehicles began operation in 1979.
Riding in the upper position of Ariane 5’s payload “stack” will be ASTRA 5B, which is to extend SES’ transponder capacity and geographical reach over Eastern European and neighboring markets for direct-to-home, direct-to-cable and contribution feeds to digital terrestrial television networks.
Built by Astrium, ASTRA 5B also carries a hosted L-band payload for the European Commission’s European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS). With a design lifetime of 15 years, ASTRA 5B will have an estimated liftoff mass of 5,800 kg. and is to be positioned at an orbital location of 31.5 deg. East.
Astra 5B’s launch is within the scope of SES’ Multi-Launch Agreement with Arianespace, representing the exceptional relationship established by these two companies over the past two decades.
The lower passenger on Arianespace’s Flight VA216 is HISPASAT’s Amazonas 4A, to be located at an orbital position 61 deg. West after its deployment by the Ariane 5. This Orbital Sciences Corporation-produced telecommunications platform will enhance HISPASAT’s relay capacity over Latin America to provide an extended range of communications and television services. With a launch mass of 3,000 kg., Amazonas 4A has a design lifespan of 15 years.
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The initial build-up steps for Flight VA216’s Ariane 5 are shown in these photos
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Quelle: arianespace
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Update: 29.10.2013
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Arianespace launches VA216 and VS06 scheduled respectively for December 6 and 20, 2013
To allow the Gaia program to carry out additional checks on its satellite, Arianespace has switched the order of its two upcoming launches, with full agreement of its customers, moving the Ariane 5 ECA mission for SES and Hispasat ahead of the Soyuz launch for ESA.
Arianespace is now able to announce the planned dates of its next two launches, thanks to the combined efforts of the teams in charge of preparing the Gaia, ASTRA 5B and AMAZONAS 4A satellites, the teams in charge of the Ariane 5 and Soyuz launchers and the staff at the Guiana Space Center, CNES in particular, responsible for optimizing launch preparations:
VA216 – Ariane 5 ECA – Astra 5B and Amazonas 4A – December 6
VS06 – Soyuz – Gaia – December 20
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Quelle: arianespace
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Update: 11.11.2013
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ASTRA 5B lands in French Guiana for its upcoming Ariane 5 flight
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Following its arrival at French Guiana’s Félix Eboué Airport, ASTRA 5B’s container is rigged to be moved from the An-124 cargo jetliner’s unloading ramp to a flatbed trailer, which is used to transfer it by road to the Spaceport.
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Ariane Flight VA216
Ariane Flight VA216
Payload preparations for Arianespace’s next heavy-lift mission are ready to move into gear as the ASTRA 5B satellite has arrived in French Guiana.
ASTRA 5B – which Arianespace will launch for Luxembourg-based operator SES – was delivered by an An-124 cargo aircraft to the Félix Eboué Airport near Cayenne this week, approximately one month prior to its targeted December 6 liftoff date with co-passenger Amazonas 4A.
The Astrium-produced spacecraft’s specialized shipping container was unloaded – aided by the aircraft’s “kneeling” capability – and then prepared for road transport to the Spaceport, which is located some 65 kilometers away in Kourou.
ASTRA 5B will extend SES’ transponder capacity and geographical reach over Eastern Europe and neighboring markets, delivering direct-to-home, direct-to-cable and contribution feeds to digital terrestrial television networks. It also carries a hosted L-band payload for the European Commission’s European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS).
As the upper passenger for Arianespace’s next heavy-lift mission, ASTRA 5B’s estimated liftoff mass is 5,800 kg., and it will operate from an orbital position of 31.5 deg. East.
With a launch mass of 3,000 kg., Amazonas 4A will join ASTRA 5B on Arianespace Flight VA216 in the lower position of the “payload stack.” This spacecraft – to be located at an orbital position of 61 deg. West – will provide enhanced relay capacity over Latin America and an extended range of communications and television services for operator HISPASAT.
Designated VA216 in the company’s numbering system, this liftoff represents the 216th flight of an Ariane-series vehicle, as well as the fifth heavy-lift launch this year. On its four 2013 missions to date, Ariane 5 has successfully orbited seven payloads with a combined total payload lift performance of more than 50,000 kg.
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Quelle: arianespace
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Update: 14.11.2013
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Arianespace postpones SES Astra 5B satellite launch to 2014
Thursday 14 November 2013 | 01:15 CET | News
Arianespace has informed satellite operator SES that the launch of the Astra 5B satellite will be delayed to January 2014. The decision is due to the non-availability of Astra 5B's co-passenger satellite for launch on board an Ariane 5 booster from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guyana, previously scheduled for 6 December. The Astra 5B spacecraft, which arrived in Kourou on 6 November in order to be readied for launch, will now be put into safe storage until the launch preparations can resume.
Astra 5B was built by EADS Astrium, based on the Eurostar E3000 platform. The satellite will be located at the orbital position of 31.5 degrees East and is equipped with 40 Ku-band transponders (36 MHz equivalent) as well as 6 Ka-band transponders. Astra 5B will extend SES' transponder capacity and geographical reach over Eastern European and neighbouring markets for DTH, direct-to-cable and contribution feeds to digital terrestrial television networks. The spacecraft also carries a hosted L-band payload for the European Commission's European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS).
Quelle: telecompaper
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SES: ASTRA 5B LAUNCH DELAY DUE TO UNAVAILIBILITY OF CO-PASSENGER SATELLITE
Luxembourg, November 13th, 2013 – SES S.A. (NYSE Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) announces that Arianespace informed the company that the launch of the ASTRA 5B satellite will be delayed to January 2014.
The reason is the non-availability of ASTRA 5B's co-passenger satellite for launch on board an Ariane 5 booster from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guyana, previously scheduled for December 6, 2013.
The ASTRA 5B spacecraft, which arrived in Kourou on November 6, 2013 in order to be readied for launch, will now be put into safe storage until the launch preparations can resume.
ASTRA 5B was built by EADS Astrium in Toulouse, France, based on the highly reliable Eurostar E3000 platform. The satellite will be located at the orbital position of 31.5 degrees East and is equipped with 40 Ku-band transponders (36 MHz equivalent) as well as 6 Ka-band transponders. ASTRA 5B will extend SES' transponder capacity and geographical reach over Eastern European and neighbouring markets for DTH, direct-to-cable and contribution feeds to digital terrestrial television networks. The spacecraft also carries a hosted L-band payload for the European Commission's European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS).
Quelle; SES
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Arianespace Flight VA216: Launch postponed
Evry, November 13, 2013
Hispasat has informed Arianespace that its Amazonas 4A satellite, one of the two payloads being carried by Arianespace flight VA216, originally scheduled for December 6, requires additional verifications.
The Ariane 5 launch is therefore postponed and a new launch date will be announced as soon as possible.
Quelle: arianespace
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Update: 25.02.2014
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Arianespace Flight VA216: Ariane 5 ECA – ASTRA 5B – Amazonas 4A; Liftoff is set for Friday, March 21, 2014
Evry, France, February 24, 2014
The checks on the Amazonas 4A satellite are proceeding nominally, enabling Arianespace to announce the launch date for the ASTRA 5B and Amazonas 4A satellites.
Liftoff of the Ariane 5 ECA launcher is now set for the night of Friday, March 21, as early as possible in the following launch window:
From 7:05 p.m. to 8:14 p.m., local time in Kourou, French Guiana From 5:05 p.m. to 6:14 p.m. in Washington D.C. From 10:05 p.m. to 11:14 p.m. UTC, on Saturday From 11:05 p.m. to 00:14 a.m. in Paris, during the night of Friday, March 21 to Saturday, March 22.
Quelle: arianespace
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Update: 17.03.2014
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ASTRA 5B is delivered to the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building for integration on its Ariane 5 launcher
March 13, 2014 – Ariane Flight VA216
The ASTRA 5B satellite, one of two passengers for Arianespace’s next Ariane 5 mission, has been delivered to the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building – marking a step in payload integration.
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ASTRA 5B – built by Airbus Defence and Space for global satellite operator SES – was transported this week from the Spaceport’s S5 payload preparation facility, where the spacecraft underwent pre-flight checkout and received its onboard propellant. The transfer took place at night in order to reduce thermal loads on the satellite.
After its deployment by Ariane 5, ASTRA 5B will extend SES’ transponder capacity and geographical reach over Eastern Europe and neighboring markets, delivering direct-to-home, direct-to-cable and contribution feeds to digital terrestrial television networks. The spacecraft also carries a hosted L-band payload for the European Commission’s European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS).
ASTRA 5B will be joined on the flight by HISPASAT’s Amazonas 4A satellite – which will provide enhanced relay capacity over Latin America and an extended range of communications and television services. Amazonas 4A was produced by Orbital Sciences Corporation.
The upcoming Ariane 5 mission – designated VA216 in Arianespace’s numbering system – is set for March 21 from the Spaceport, with liftoff scheduled during a launch window opening at 7:05 p.m. local time in French Guiana.
Quelle: arianespace
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Update: 18.03.2014
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The Ariane 5 for this week’s dual-passenger mission is adorned with its payload graphics
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Ariane Flight VA216
A new preparation milestone has been reached for Ariane 5’s March 21 flight from French Guiana with installation of customer graphics on the heavy-lift mission’s payload fairing – which is a tradition for Arianespace launches.
This activity was performed in the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building for Ariane 5, where the launcher’s ogive-shaped payload fairing – which protects payloads during ascent through the denser atmospheric layers – was adorned with imagery related to its two satellite passengers: ASTRA 5B and Amazonas 4A.
Built by Airbus Defence and Space, ASTRA 5B will extend operator SES’ transponder capacity and geographical reach over Eastern Europe and neighboring markets, delivering direct-to-home, direct-to-cable and contribution feeds to digital terrestrial television networks. The spacecraft also carries a hosted L-band payload for the European Commission’s European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS). ASTRA 5B is represented on the Ariane 5’s payload fairing by logos for SES, EGNOS and Forbes Georgia.
Orbital Sciences Corporation produced the Amazonas 4A spacecraft – which is spotlighted on the payload fairing with its own logo – for operator HISPASAT. After deployment by Ariane 5, it will provide enhanced relay capacity over Latin America and an extended range of communications and television services.
This week’s mission is designated VA216 in Arianespace’s numbering system, with its liftoff set during a launch window opening at 7:05 p.m. local time in French Guiana on March 21.
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Quelle: arianespace
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Update: 20.03.2014
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The go-ahead is given for Arianespace’s Ariane 5 mission with ASTRA 5B and Amazonas 4A
Ariane Flight VA216
Arianespace’s second Ariane 5 flight of 2014 has been approved for its March 21 liftoff following today’s successful launch readiness review, which was performed at the Spaceport in French Guiana.
The review is held prior to each Ariane 5 mission, ensuring that the heavy-lift vehicle and its payload are flight-ready, along with the Spaceport’s infrastructure and the network of downrange tracking stations.
With today’s “green light,” Ariane 5 is now cleared for its March 20 rollout from the Final Assembly Building to the ELA-3 launch zone – where it will be readied for liftoff on Friday during a launch window opening at 7:05 p.m. local time in French Guiana.
The payload lift performance for Arianespace’s latest Ariane 5 mission is more than 9,575 kg., which includes some 8,755 kg. for its two satellite passengers – ASTRA 5B and Amazonas 4A – along with the launcher’s dual-payload dispenser system and satellite integration hardware.
Riding in the Ariane 5 payload “stack’s” upper position is ASTRA 5B, which was built by Airbus Defence and Space for SES, and will operate from a 31.5 deg. East orbital slot. Based on the Eurostar E3000 platform, this spacecraft will be deployed first during the 34-minute flight sequence and is outfitted with 40 Ku-band and 6 Ka-band transponders.
Amazonas 4A is installed in the payload stack’s lower position, and its deployment by Ariane 5 will mark the mission’s completion. The Orbital Sciences Corporation-produced satellite, which is equipped with 24 Ku-band transponders, will be operated by HISPASAT from an orbital position of 61 deg. West.
Quelle: arianespace
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Update: 21.03.2014
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Quelle: arianespace
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Update: 24.03.2014
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Erfolgreicher Start von Ariane-V
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On 22 March 2014, Ariane 5 flight VA216 lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on its mission to place two telecom satellites, Astra-5B and Amazonas-4A, into their planned transfer orbits.
Quelle: ESA
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Arianespace orbits ASTRA 5B and Amazonas 4A satellites
Kourou, March 22, 2014
On Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 22:04 UTC, Arianespace carried out the 59th successful Ariane 5 launch in a row, orbiting two telecommunications satellites: ASTRA 5B for the Luxembourg-based operator SES, and Amazonas 4A for the Spanish operator Hispasat. ASTRA 5B also hosts an EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service) payload for the European Commission.
59th successful launch in a row: Arianespace continues to deliver the world's most reliable launch service!
Today's successful mission, the 59th in a row for Europe's Ariane 5 launcher, confirms that Arianespace continues to set the standard for guaranteed access to space for all operators, whether national or international space agencies, private industry or governments.
Following the announcement of the orbital injection of the Astra 5B and Amazonas 4A satellites, Arianespace Chairman and CEO Stéphane Israël said: "Today's successful launch, the 59th in a row for Ariane 5, confirms the unrivaled reliability and availability of the European launcher. We take particular pride in being able to offer this service excellence to two leading European operators, SES and Hispasat, both long-standing customers of Arianespace, as well as the European Commission, which has an EGNOS satellite navigation payload integrated on the ASTRA 5B satellite. I would like to thank our customers for continuing to place their trust in us. For Arianespace and our family of the Ariane, Soyuz and Vega launchers, the watchword in 2014 will be 'Europe', following the launch of Athena-Fidus on February 6, a French-Italian spacecraft that meets both defense and homeland security requirements, and leading up to flagship programs deployed by the European Commission (Copernicus and Galileo) and the European Space Agency (ATV and IXV). In addition, I would also like to express my thanks to Airbus Defence & Space, as the industrial prime contractor for Ariane 5, to the rest of the European space industry, the teams at the Guiana Space Center, and our partners at CNES for today's magnificent success."
A launch for two leading European operators
Arianespace and SES have developed an exceptional relationship over the last 25 years, starting with the launch of ASTRA 1A. ASTRA 5B is the 39th satellite from the SES group (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Bourse: SESG) to use Europe's launcher. SES operates the leading direct-to-home (DTH) satellite broadcast system in Europe, based on its ASTRA family of satellites, serving more than 135 million households via cable and DTH networks.
Built by Airbus Space & Defense using a Eurostar 3000 L platform, ASTRA 5B weighed 5,724 kg at launch. It is fitted with 60 active Ku and Ka-band transponders, and will be positioned at 31.5 degrees East. The ASTRA 5B satellite will provide DTH television broadcast, cable distribution and digital terrestrial television (DTTV) network services in Europe and Africa. It also hosts an L-band payload for the European geostationary navigation overlay system, EGNOS. ASTRA 5B offers a design life of about 15 years, and is the 107th satellite built by Airbus Defence & Space to be launched by Arianespace.
Amazonas 4A is the eighth Spanish satellite launched by Arianespace, and the sixth for Hispasat. Three of the four Amazonas satellites, which support the operator's expansion in South America, were launched by Ariane 5.
Amazonas 4A was built by Orbital Sciences Corporation using a GeoStar-2 platform, and weighed 2,938 kg at launch. It is equipped with 24 active Ku-band transponders. This satellite will provide a broad range of telecommunications services across all of South America, in particular addressing the growth in demand expected because of the 2014 Football World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games, both organized in Brazil. It has a design life of 15 years, and is the 25th satellite built by Orbital Sciences Corporation to be launched by Arianespace.
The ASTRA 5B/Amazonas 4A mission at a glance
The mission was carried out by an Ariane 5 ECA launcher from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Liftoff was on Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 7:04 pm local time in Kourou (6:04 pm in Washington, D.C., 22:04 UTC, and 11:04 pm in Paris).
This was the 217th Ariane launch. Airbus Defence & Space is the industrial prime contractor for Ariane launch vehicles. The Ariane 5 ECA used on this mission boosted 9,468 kg into geostationary transfer orbit, including 8,662 kg for the two satellites.
