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Mission Update

Final countdown resumes for Ariane 5’s mission with Helios 2B

December 18, 2009

Arianespace has resumed the final countdown for today’s Ariane 5 launch with the French Helios 2B military observation satellite.

The mission had been postponed yesterday after the countdown was halted during the final minutes.  As this mission has an exact moment of liftoff due to its trajectory to place Helios 2B into Sun-synchronous polar orbit, the interruption required a rescheduling of the mission by 24 hours.

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.  This reconnaissance capability was created by France in conjunction with Belgium, Spain, Italy and Greece. 

• See the official Arianespace launch kit for further information on this mission.