Mission Update
Arianespace's year-end mission with Helios 2B is set for December 17
December 14, 2009
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Ariane 5’s final mission for 2009 – the seventh for Arianespace’s workhorse launcher this year – is set for December 17 from the Spaceport in French Guiana.
The new date was chosen as corrective actions on the liquid helium subsystem in Ariane 5’s cryogenic main stage are being completed. They were required after an anomaly occurred during the original final countdown on December 9.
Helios 2B is riding as a solo payload on the upcoming flight, which will deploy the French military observation satellite into a Sun-synchronous polar orbit.
With a liftoff mass of approximately 4,200 kg., Helios 2B will serve as the second platform in a new-generation spaceborne observation system for military applications.
All of the Helios 2 and Helios 1-series satellites have been orbited by Ariane launchers – starting with Helios 1A in July 1995, which was followed by Helios 1B in 1999 and Helios 2A in 2004.
Launch Window for the Helios 2B mission |
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Universal time (GMT) |
Paris, France |
Kourou, French Guiana |
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04:26 p.m. on December 17, 2009 |
05:26 p.m. on December 17, 2009 |
01:26 p.m. on December 17, 2009 |
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- Arianespace’s official launch kit has more details on this Ariane 5 mission.
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