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Ariane 5 in Final Preparation for Dec. 18 Launch |
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Kourou, French Guiana, Dec. 15/Satnews Daily/
¾ The Ariane 5 Generic launcher
for Arianespace’s Flight 165 is entering its final checkout phase as
preparations move ahead on schedule for a mid-day liftoff from the
Spaceport in French Guiana next Saturday. Arianespace said launch team members spent the whole day of Dec. 13 filling the Ariane 5's attitude control system with hydrazine and nitrogen propellant. This system provides roll control during much of the mission, and also handles three-axis control during satellite positioning maneuvers. The fueling activity took place inside the Ariane 5 Final Assembly Building at the Spaceport, where the launcher - complete with its payloads - is being readied for its rollout to the launch pad on Friday, December 17. Liftoff of Flight 165 is set for 1:26 p.m. on December 18 (16h26 GMT, 5:26 p.m. in Paris, and 11:26 a.m. in Washington, D.C.). This daytime launch slot - and its precise liftoff time - is due to the mission's northward trajectory to Sun-synchronous orbit. Flight 165's primary payload is France's Helios IIA military reconnaissance platform, which was produced in a program that also involves Belgium and Spain. Helios IIA is 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.
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