LAUNCH PAD
Assembly Begins On Second Ariane 5 For The Year

The Planck spacecraft will analyze radiation remnants that filled the universe immediately after the Big Bang, which are observed today as the Cosmic Microwave Background. Data from Planck will provide answers to the universe's creation, and how it could evolve in the future.
by Staff Writers
 Kourou, French Guiana (SPX) Feb 11, 2009
 The launch vehicle for Arianespace's second Ariane 5 flight of 2009 has begun its assembly at the Spaceport in French Guiana, marking the startup of preparations for a dual-satellite mission that will yield new insights into the formation of stars and the universe's creation.

During activity in the Spaceport's Launcher Integration Building, the Ariane 5's core cryogenic stage was situated over its massive mobile launch table, followed by the positioning of the vehicle's two solid rocket boosters.

Liftoff of this Ariane 5 is planned for April with a pair of European Space Agency space science payloads: the Herschel space telescope, and the Planck spacecraft. Herschel will study the formation of stars and galaxies, while Planck is to gather data on remaining radiation from the Big Bang cosmic explosion.

Herschel will be the largest space telescope of its kind ever launched. Its ability to detect space radiation at far infrared and sub-millimeter wavelengths will help scientists to determine how the first galaxies were created, and how they evolved into their present-day form.

The Planck spacecraft will analyze radiation remnants that filled the universe immediately after the Big Bang, which are observed today as the Cosmic Microwave Background. Data from Planck will provide answers to the universe's creation, and how it could evolve in the future.

Arianespace is maintaining the Ariane 5 mission pace to meet its customers' needs, with plans for a total of six to eight launches this year. The first liftoff of 2009 is set for this Thursday, February 12, with the vehicle now ready for its rollout to the Spaceport's ELA-3 launch zone.

Related Links
 Arianespace
 Launch Pad at Space-Travel.com

LAUNCH PAD
Arianespace And Thales Announce Contract With Russian Operator Gazprom
 Paris, France (SPX) Feb 09, 2009
 Arianespace has been chosen to launch the two communications satellites, Yamal-401 and Yamal-402 within the scope of a contract between Thales Alenia Space and Russian operator Gazprom.
ROCKET SCIENCE
  • Two Rockets Fly Through Auroral Arc
  • U.S. rocketry competition is under way
  • ATK And NASA Complete Major Milestones For NASA Constellation Program
  • KSC Operations And Checkout Facility Ready To Start Orion Spacecraft Integration

    • LAUNCH PAD
  • Assembly Begins On Second Ariane 5 For The Year
  • ISRO Says It Is Not looking At Arianespace As A Competitor
  • Vandenberg Successfully Launches
  • New date set for European science satellite

    • SHUTTLE NEWS
  • Discovery Facing More Delays
  • NASA Continues Assessment Of The Next Shuttle Mission
  • Shuttle Engineers Study Fuel Valve
  • NASA delays Discovery mission to space station

    • STATION NEWS
  • Russian cargo ship blasts off for ISS
  • Astronauts Swab The Deck
  • Russia's Progress Digital Cargo Spacecraft Buried In Pacific
  • A European OasISS In Space

    • SPACE TRAVEL
  • Iran space shot 'rudimentary': US general
  • NASA awards launch services contract
  • NASA Receives Shorty Twitter Award
  • Saving oceans and finding aliens make TED Prize wish list

    • DRAGON SPACE
  • China plans own satellite navigation system by 2015: state media
  • Fengyun-3A Weather Satellite Begins Weather Monitoring
  • Shenzhou-7 Monitor Satellite Finishes Mission After 100 Days In Space
  • China Launches Third Fengyun-2 Series Weather Satellite

    • ROBO SPACE
  • NASA And Caltech Test Steep-Terrain Rover
  • NASA And Caltech Test Steep-Terrain Rover
  • ASI Chaos Small Robot To Participate In Series Of Exercises
  • Iowa Staters Advance Developmental Robotics With Goal Of Teaching Robots To Learn

    • MARSDAILY
  • Opportunity Update: Happy Anniversary! - sol 1770-1776
  • Martian Crater Features Suggest Influence Of Water And Ice
  • Spirit Update: On the Move - sol 1791-1797
  • Antarctic Expedition Prepared Researchers For Mars Project

    • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright Space.TV Corporation. 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 Space.TV Corp on any Web page published or hosted by Space.TV Corp. Privacy Statement