HOT BIRD-10 arrived in French Guiana on January 8, and has now been removed from its protective shipping container in the S5C large preparation hall of the Spaceport's S5 preparation facility. The spacecraft will be carried as part of a multi-passenger payload on Arianespace's February 12th mission. This will be the second Eutelsat satellite slotted on consecutive Ariane 5 flights, following the successful lofting of HOT BIRD-9 aboard the heavy-lift vehicle's year-end launch December 20. For the upcoming Ariane 5 mission, HOT BIRD-10 will be joined by SES NEWSKIES' NSS-9 telecommunications satellite, along with two Spirale auxiliary passengers that are demonstrators for a French defense space borne optical early warning system. Arianespace intends to continue its sustained Ariane 5 flight rate during 2009, with six to eight missions planned for the year.
Satnews Daily
January 12th, 2009
Set For Space Is HOT BIRD-10 + NSS-9
HOT BIRD-10 arrived in French Guiana on January 8, and has now been removed from its protective shipping container in the S5C large preparation hall of the Spaceport's S5 preparation facility. The spacecraft will be carried as part of a multi-passenger payload on Arianespace's February 12th mission. This will be the second Eutelsat satellite slotted on consecutive Ariane 5 flights, following the successful lofting of HOT BIRD-9 aboard the heavy-lift vehicle's year-end launch December 20. For the upcoming Ariane 5 mission, HOT BIRD-10 will be joined by SES NEWSKIES' NSS-9 telecommunications satellite, along with two Spirale auxiliary passengers that are demonstrators for a French defense space borne optical early warning system. Arianespace intends to continue its sustained Ariane 5 flight rate during 2009, with six to eight missions planned for the year.