Article Posted on : - Jun 22, 2010

A File Photo.

EVRY (BNS): The next Ariane 5 flight is ready to liftoff on Wednesday from its Spaceport in French Guiana after the complete launch readiness reviewed by Arianespace.

Arianespace will rollout Ariane 5 with the Arabsat-5A and COMS spacecraft, followed by an evening launch from French Guiana on June 23.

The review confirmed the readiness of Ariane 5 and its two satellite passengers, along with the Spaceport�s launch infrastructure and the network of downrange tracking stations, according to Arianespace.

Ariane 5�s payload lift performance for this second Arianespace mission of 2010 has a total weight of approximately 8,390 kg.

Arabsat-5A and COMS satellites have a combined mass of 7,315 kg, including the weight of launcher�s SYLDA 5 dual-payload dispenser system and associated integration hardware.

Arabsat-5A was built by Astrium and Thales Alenia Space on a turnkey contract for the Arabsat telecommunications operator. Arabsat-5A will be located at an orbital position of 30.5 degrees East.

It will be the seventh Arabsat satellite lofted by the Ariane family which will provide additional capacity for a full range of satellite communications services over the Middle East and Africa.

South Korea�s COMS (Communication, Ocean and Meteorological Satellite) is the first European-built 3-axis stabilized geostationary observation satellite, fitted with three payloads for meteorological observation, ocean surveillance and experimental broadband multimedia communications services supplied by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute.

Arabsat-5A will be the first to launch from the Ariane 5�s dual-payload �stack,� as it rides in the upper passenger position in the mission�s deployment sequence.

COMS is installed in the lower slot and housed inside the SYLDA 5 dispenser.