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Helios 2B Military Observation Platform Given "Go" For Launch
Kourou, French Guiana (SPX) Dec 08, 2009 Arianespace's seventh and final Ariane 5 launch of 2009 has been given the green light today, clearing this mission for a mid-day liftoff on December 9 with the French Helios 2B military observation satellite. The flight's go-ahead was granted after today's launch readiness review, which is held before every Ariane mission to validate the Ariane 5's status, along with its payload, the launch infrastructure at Europe's Spaceport, and the network of ground tracking stations. This clears the way for tomorrow morning's rollout of the Ariane 5 GS from its Final Assembly Building to the ELA-3 launch zone at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. Liftoff of the workhorse Arianespace launch vehicle is set for 1:26 p.m. on December 9, with Helios 2B being injected into a Sun-synchronous polar orbit during a mission lasting 59 min., 23 sec. The satellite will weigh approximately 4,200 kg. at liftoff, and is the second platform in a new-generation spaceborne observation system for military applications. This reconnaissance capability was created by France in conjunction with Belgium, Spain, Italy and Greece. Helios 2B was produced by EADS Astrium as prime contractor, and the spacecraft's European industrial team also includes Thales Alenia Space, which supplied the reconnaissance satellite's high resolution imaging instrument. The Helios 2B program manager is the French DGA (Direction generale de l'armement) defense procurement agency, which assigned contracting authority for the space segment to the country's CNES space agency - the direct customer for Arianespace on this December 9 mission. Ariane vehicles have orbited all of the previous Helios 2 and Helios 1-series satellites, beginning with Helios 1A in July 1995. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Arianespace Launch Pad at Space-Travel.com
Arianespace Marks 30 Years Of Launch Services ExcellenceWashington DC (SPX) Dec 07, 2009 The 30th anniversary of Ariane's first flight was celebrated in Washington, D.C., where Arianespace Chairman and CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall underscored the importance of launch services maturity and continuity in today's competitive marketplace. Speaking to attendees at the company's annual holiday gathering in the U.S. nation's capital, Le Gall said three decades of operations has seen the ... read more |
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