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• August 27, 2010
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Mission Update

The second Ariane 5 for launch in 2010 completes its initial build-up

March 10, 2010 – Ariane Flight 195

Arianespace’s mission pace for its heavy-lift Ariane 5 ECA is supported by a high level of activity at the Spaceport in French Guiana, where the second launch vehicle for 2010 has now completed its initial build-up.

During activity in the Spaceport’s Launcher Integration Building, the heavy-lift Ariane 5 was fitted with its ESC-A upper stage and the vehicle equipment bay – which were installed as a single unit. This combined integration step is part of the streamlining introduced in Ariane 5’s build-up process to optimize the preparation workflow and support Arianespace’s flight rate.

(In the top photo, at right, the combined ESC-A upper stage and vehicle equipment bay are raised inside the Launcher Integration Building for installation on Ariane 5, which is partly visible in the background.  In the lower photo, this combined component is lowered into position atop the Ariane 5’s cryogenic core stage.)

Once additional integration and checkout steps are completed, the Ariane 5 will be ready for its transfer from the Launcher Integration Building to the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building, where it will be fitted with the mission’s dual-satellite payload.

The passengers for this upcoming flight – designated 195, for the 195th mission of an Ariane family vehicle – will be the Arabsat 5A and COMS satellites.

Arabsat 5A is the initial fifth-generation spacecraft for Arabsat, which is one of the Arab world’s leading satellite services providers.  This relay platform is designed to handle a full range of satellite communications services over sub-Saharan Africa, the North Africa and Middle East (MENA) region, and beyond.

COMS is a multi-mission satellite for the Korea Aerospace and Research Institute of South Korea, and carries payloads for meteorology, ocean observation and communications. 

Liftoff of the Ariane 5 with COMS and Arabsat 5A is targeted for late April.  This will follow the March 24 launch of Arianespace’s first Ariane 5 ECA of 2010, which currently is in the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building awaiting the integration of its ASTRA 3B and COMSATBw-2 satellite payloads.

Arianespace is planning a total of seven Ariane 5 missions this year.