Article Posted on : - Apr 13, 2010

EVRY (BNS): Arianespace has delayed the launch of 194 – ASTRA 3B & COMSATBw-2 to reform some technical difficulties which occurred during the preparations for Flight 194.

During the launch some incongruity appeared in the final countdown operations for Flight 194, as said in an Arianespace news release.

Arianespace, in conjunction with its partners in the Ariane 5 program will set up a Task Force and conduct a Quality Audit of the Flight 194 to sort out the technical glitches.

The launch vehicle and its ASTRA 3B and COMSATBw-2 satellite payloads have been placed in stand-by mode and maintained in fully safe conditions.

Arianespace will announce the new date for the mission soon, it said.

In this mission, Arianespace will locate ASTRA 3B at 23.5 degrees East, ASTRA’s orbital position for delivering Direct-to-Home (DTH) broadcast services. The COMSATBw-2 satellites will provide a secure broadband network which guarantees uninterrupted communications between the government, military authorities and armed forces deployed around the world.