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Mission Update

The heavy-lift Ariane 5 rolls out to the launch zone with its Superbird-7 and AMC-21 payloads

August 13, 2008

The ELA-3 launch zone at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana is alive with activity for the fifth time this year, as the latest Ariane 5 is readied for liftoff tomorrow evening on a flight to orbit the Superbird-7 and AMC-21 telecommunications satellite payloads.

Preparations for the mission entered their final phase this morning after the heavy-lift Ariane 5 ECA was transferred from its Final Assembly Building to the Spaceport's ELA-3 launch complex.

This process began at 10:30 a.m. local time, with the vehicle riding atop one of two mobile launch tables used for Ariane 5 mission operations. The transfer lasted approximately one hour as the launch table moved along a 2.8-km. section of the dual-rail track that links the Spaceport's major infrastructure elements.

With the Ariane 5 now in the launch zone, all is ready for the final countdown to liftoff during a launch window that opens tomorrow at 5:44 p.m. and continues to 6:35 p.m., local time in French Guiana.

For this latest mission – the 41st for an Ariane 5 – the launcher's heavy-lift performance will be approximately 8,100 kg. – which includes more than 7,270 kg. for its two satellite payloads, along with their integration hardware and the SYLDA 5 multiple satellite dispenser system.

During tomorrow's flight, Superbird-7 will ride as the upper passenger, with AMC-21 installed below it in the SYLDA 5 dispenser.

Superbird-7 will be deployed first during the launch profile, separating from Ariane 5 approximately 26 minutes into the flight. This Mitsubishi Electric Corporation-built spacecraft will be utilized by Tokyo-based Space Communications Corporation as a successor to its current Superbird-C satellite, and will provide a wide range of Ku-band telecommunications services with enhanced performance.

AMC-21 also is a Ku-band relay platform, and the spacecraft is riding in the Ariane 5's lower payload position. It was manufactured by Thales Alenia Space incorporating the Orbital Sciences STAR-2 satellite bus, and is designed for comprehensive service over the 50 U.S. states, along with high-power coverage for the Gulf of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Deployment of AMC-21 is to occur at about 30 minutes after the Ariane 5's liftoff.

This latest flight will be Arianespace's fifth of seven missions planned for 2008 – making it the highest yearly launch rate since the vehicle's commercial introduction in 1999.

• Watch the launch live in Arianespace's Video Corner.
• Arianespace's official Launch Kit has additional information on this Ariane 5 mission with ProtoStar I & BADR-6.