The payload “stack” for Ariane 5’s recent mission is depicted in this cutaway drawing, prepared by EADS Astrium, the launcher’s industrial prime contractor. The SYLDA 5 dispenser was captured by the Herschel space telescope’s Visual Monitoring Camera at an altitude of more than 1,000 km. above Africa. SYLDA 5 serves as the central element in Ariane 5’s dual payload “stack.” On Arianespace’s May 14th mission, the 3,400-kg. Herschel spacecraft rode as the upper payload. It was installed atop the SYLDA 5, which was positioned over the launcher’s lower payload — the 1,920-kg. Planck observatory.
Herschel was deployed first during the flight sequence, separating from Ariane 5 at just under 26 minutes into the mission. The SYLDA 5 was jettisoned 1 min. 22 sec. later, exposing Planck for its deployment at 28 min. 29 sec. into the flight. Herschel’s Visual Monitoring Camera images showed the 4.9-meter-tall SYLDA 5 after its release from Ariane 5, receding against a background of clouds, ocean and coastlines as it trailed behind the space telescope. These images were assembled for an animated view of SYLDA 5 by the European Space Agency, which funded the development of Herschel and Planck, and will operate the two spacecraft for their mission to unlock secrets of the universe’s origins. The animation has been posted on the space agency’s website, along with images from the European Space Agency’s Optical Ground Station in Tenerife, Spain, that show Herschel, Planck and SYLDA 5 flying in formation after being deployed by Ariane 5.