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Helios IIA New Launch Date is Set for December 18 |
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Kourou, French Guiana, Dec. 8/Satnews Daily/
¾ Arianespace announced Tuesday
it has set December 18 as the new liftoff date for Flight 165 in a
rescheduling that allows for completion of a subassembly replacement on
the mission's Ariane 5 Generic launcher. The subassembly change-out was decided last week after an anomaly appeared during ground tests involving equipment similar to that used the Flight 165 launch vehicle. Arianespace’s Flight 165 is a mission to Sun-synchronous orbit, and its liftoff is set at a precise moment rather than the traditional launch window of minutes or hours for Ariane flights to geostationary transfer orbit. Launch time is 1:26 p.m. at the Spaceport in French Guiana (16h26 GMT, 5:26 p.m. in Paris, and 11:26 a.m. in Washington, D.C.). The primary payload for Flight 165 is France's Helios IIA military reconnaissance platform, which was produced in a program that also involves Belgium and Spain. Helios IIA will be accompanied by six small-sat auxiliary payloads: four Essaim electronic intelligence (ELINT) system demonstrators for the French defense procurement agency (DGA), the Parasol payload from France's CNES space agency for studies of the Earth's climate, and the Spanish Nanosat micro-satellite technology demonstrator.
Recent Stories: Arianespace Postpones Helios IIA Dec. 10 Launch Ariane 5 in Final Preparations for Helios IIA Launch Ariane 5 Completes Initial integration for French Helios II Flight |
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