Archive for the 'Arianespace' Category
Jan 07, 2010, post by Satellite News
Germany’s OHB System (OHBG.DE) will deliver 14 satellites for the European Union’s Galileo navigation system and Arianespace (EAD.PA) of France will launch them into orbit, the EU executive said on Thursday.
Support services for Europe’s biggest space programme will be delivered by Franco-Italian group Thales Alenia Space (TCFP.PA)(SIFI.MI) in a contract worth 85 million euros ($122 million), the European Commission said in a statement.
OHB secured its order, worth 566 million euros, after a competition with Germany’s EADS-Astrium. The two will continue to compete for orders for the remaining satellites in the programme, which will probably number between eight and 18.
Arianespace will be paid 397 million euros in a contract to launch the satellites onboard Soyuz rockets from French Guiana starting in October 2012.
Dec 31, 2009, post by Artur Ślesik
Avanti Communications Group has chosen Arianespace to launch its HYLAS 2 communications satellite. The HYLAS 2 satellite will be boosted into geostationary transfer orbit in the first half of 2012 by an Ariane 5 or Soyuz launcher operating at the Guiana Space Center, Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
It is the second Avanti satellite to be launched by Arianespace.
HYLAS 2 will be built by Orbital Sciences Corporation in Dulles, Virginia, using a Star-2 platform. The satellite will weigh approximately up to 4,000 kg at launch.
HYLAS 2 will offer a design life of 15 years and will provide direct-to-home TV broadcast and data transmission services for Europe. HYLAS 2 will be the 17th satellite built by Orbital Sciences Corporation to be launched by Arianespace.
Dec 31, 2009, post by Artur Ślesik
The final Ariane 5 launch for 2009 lifted off Dec 18s from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on a journey to place the French military reconnaissance satellite Helios-2B into Sun-synchronous polar orbit. Flight V193 was the seventh Ariane 5 launch of 2009 and used the last of the GS version of the launcher.
Liftoff of the 49th Ariane 5 mission took place at 17:26 CET/Paris (16:26 UTC; 13:26 French Guiana). The satellite was accurately injected into its target orbit about 59 minutes later. The payload mass for this launch was 5954 kg; the satellite mass was 4200 kg, with payload adapters and dispensers making up the additional 1754 kg.
An attempt to launch flight V193 on 9 December was aborted due to an anomaly being detected in the helium system of the main stage, which necessitated a roll-back to the Final Assembly Building for investigation and repair.
The Ariane 5 GS version uses the Vulcain 1 engine on its main stage, which has been replaced by Vulcain 2 on the two remaining versions of Ariane 5, ECA and ES. These two variants share a common lower composite consisting of the cryogenic main stage and the two solid rocket boosters. The Ariane 5 ES uses a re-ignitable storable propellant upper stage whereas the Ariane 5 ECA is equipped with a cryogenic upper stage.
