Article Posted on : - Apr 12, 2011

The Ariane 5 rocket.

KOUROU (BNS): European space transport company Arianespace has rescheduled its Ariane 5 rocket launch on April 22.

The launch vehicle, with the Yahsat Y1A and Intelsat New Dawn satellites, was originally scheduled to lift off from the French Guiana spaceport on March 30.

However, the launch was aborted following an anomaly detected during the automated checkout procedure after startup of the Ariane 5’s cryogenic main engine.

The heavy-lift launch vehicle is presently at the spaceport’s final assembly building where checkout and verification activity is underway for the mission, Arianespace said.

The mission, designated Ariane Flight VA201, will be the 201st launch of an Ariane rocket.

The Yahsat Y1A is the initial telecommunications relay spacecraft for Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat), built by an industrial team of EADS Astrium and Thales Alenia Space.

Intelsat New Dawn is the first-ever African private sector communications satellite, with the mission of supplying critical communications infrastructure for African customers.