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.