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26.01.2014

Supporting Arianespace's fast-paced 2014 launch schedule: Components are delivered for Ariane 5 and Vega missions

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Vega launcher elements to be used for Arianespace Flight VV03 are unloaded from the MN Toucan sea-going vessel’s upper deck and roll-on/roll-off interior cargo bay.

Arianespace’s “supply pipeline” is supporting the company’s high-activity launch pace planned for 2014, with launcher elements arriving this week in French Guiana for its third flight of the lightweight Vega and another heavy-lift Ariane 5 mission.

These components were delivered by the MN Toucan – one of two sea-going vessels performing rotations between Europe and South America, regularly transporting stages and other hardware for the Ariane 5, Vega and medium-lift Soyuz vehicles that compose Arianespace’s launcher family.

Included in the MN Toucan’s roll-on/roll-off interior cargo bay were the main cryogenic stage for an Ariane 5 to be launched this spring on a mission designated Flight VA218, along with its combined cryogenic upper stage/vehicle equipment bay unit.

Also carried in the cargo bay, as well as on the ship’s upper deck, were components for the Zefiro 23 second stage and Zefiro 9 third stage to be used on Arianespace’s next Vega mission – designated Flight VV03 in the company’s numbering system. This flight will be the third performed from French Guiana by the lightweight vehicle, and is to carry the DZZ-HR high-resolution observation satellite built for the Republic of Kazakhstan by Airbus Defence & Space.

This hardware was unloaded from the MN Toucan after it docked at the city of Kourou’s Pariacabo Port, enabling the transfer by road to the nearby Spaceport.

For 2014, Arianespace’s order book provides payloads for up to 14 launch opportunities, with the company’s objective to perform 12 missions during the year – depending on the availability of satellites.  Based on current planning, this activity would be composed of six Ariane 5 launches, four Soyuz missions and two Vega flights.

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The Ariane 5 main cryogenic stage for Arianespace’s Flight VA218 emerges from the roll-on/roll-off interior cargo bay.

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Quelle: arianespace

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Update: 26.02.2014

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Another Vega launcher for Arianespace takes shape at the Spaceport

The launcher for Arianespace’s initial Vega flight of 2014 began its build-up this week at the Spaceport in French Guiana, marking the first step in a mission campaign that will lead to its orbiting of the DZZ-HR high-resolution observation satellite.

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Vega’s P80 first stage for Arianespace Flight VV03 approaches the Spaceport’s SLV launch complex on a transporter vehicle.

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To initiate the activity, Vega’s P80 first stage was transferred yesterday from the Spaceport’s Booster Integration Building to the SLV launch zone.  It was then positioned on the launch pad and protected by the mobile gantry.

The P80 is an advanced solid propellant motor that features a novel filament-wound casing structure. Using one of the largest, most powerful single-block solid propellant motors ever built, the 11-meter tall stage burns for approximately 100 seconds during Vega’s first phase of flight.

This third Vega mission’s DZZ-HR payload is a 900-kg.-class satellite produced by Airbus Defence and Space for the Republic of Kazakhstan’s government.  Once in Sun-synchronous orbit, DZZ-HR will provide very-high-quality panchromatic and multispectral products for a wide range of applications, including cadastral surveys, management of natural resources, environmental monitoring and homeland surveillance.

Vega is the light-lift member of Arianespace’s launcher family, joining the medium-weight Soyuz and heavy-lift Ariane 5 in operations at the Spaceport. 

Developed in a European Space Agency program led by Italy’s ASI space agency and industrial prime contractor ELV SpA., Vega was conceived for the orbiting of small- to medium-sized satellites, including institutional and scientific spacecraft.  The vehicle’s benchmark mission is for a 1,500-kg. payload lift performance into a 700 km. altitude circular orbit.

The first Vega launch (designated Flight VV01 in Arianespace’s numbering system) was a qualification mission performed in February 2012, carrying the LARES laser relativity satellite, a small ALMASat-1 technology microsatellite demonstrator, and seven CubeSats.   It was followed by Flight VV02 in May 2013, which orbited the Proba-V, VNREDSat-1 and ESTCube-1 satellites.

Quelle: arianespace

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Update: 12.03.2014

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The no. 3 Vega for launch receives its solid propellant second stage

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Vega Flight VV03

Launch vehicle integration is continuing at the Spaceport for Arianespace’s next light-lift Vega mission, which is to orbit the Republic of Kazakhstan government’s DZZ-HR high-resolution observation satellite from French Guiana.

Build-up of the smallest member in Arianespace’s launcher family marked a new milestone this week when its Zefiro 23 solid propellant second stage was integrated atop the P80 first stage, which also uses solid propellant.

Vega’s vertical assembly process is being performed on the SLV launch pad, protected by a mobile gantry that will be withdrawn prior to the vehicle’s liftoff. This complex uses the same site previously employed for missions from French Guiana with the cornerstone Ariane 1 and 3 vehicles – having been updated and adapted where needed to meet operational requirements of the lightweight launcher.

The 900-kg.-class DZZ-HR satellite was built for the Republic of Kazakhstan by Airbus Defence and Space. To be deployed in a Sun-synchronous orbit, it will deliver very-high-quality panchromatic and multispectral products for a wide range of applications – including cadastral surveys, management of natural resources, environmental monitoring and homeland surveillance.

Vega is tailored for small- to medium-sized satellites, complementing Arianespace’s medium-lift Soyuz and heavyweight Ariane 5 to provide a complete family of vehicles operating side-by-side at the Spaceport. It was developed in a European Space Agency program led by Italy’s ASI space agency and industrial prime contractor ELV SpA.

The upcoming mission – Vega’s third overall – is designated VV03 using Arianespace’s numbering system, with the first “V” representing the French word for flight (“vol”), and the second letter referring to Vega. 

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Quelle: arianespace

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Update: 17.03.2014

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DZZ-HR en route for launch

Kazakhstan’s first Earth observation satellite, produced by Airbus Defence and Space, leaves Toulouse by plane and heads for Kourou

DZZ-HR en route for launch (c) Airbus Defence and Space

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