Tag: Arianespace
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Electrical problem prompted Ariane 5 countdown abort
A European Ariane 5 rocket sits on its launch pad in French Guiana ahead of an aborted countdown Tuesday. Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace – Photo Optique Video du CSG – P. Piron An electrical problem on one of the Ariane 5 rocket’s two solid rocket boosters led to an on-pad launch abort Tuesday, likely delaying liftoff with…
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Launch timeline for Ariane 5’s flight with Intelsat 37e and BSAT 4a
An Ariane 5 rocket will fire into the sky from French Guiana just after sunset Tuesday and deliver two payloads to orbit for Intelsat, one of the world’s largest commercial satellite operators, and Broadcasting Satellite System Corp. of Japan. The nearly 180-foot-tall (55-meter) launcher will blast off from Kourou, French Guiana, at 2151 GMT (5:51…
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Live coverage: Ariane 5 launch aborted
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of an Ariane 5 rocket with the Intelsat 37e and BSAT 4a communications satellites. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter. Arianespace’s live video stream begins at approximately 2136 GMT (5:36 p.m. EDT).
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Photos: Ariane 5 rolls to launch pad
These photos show Monday’s rollout of an Ariane 5 rocket on a 1.7-mile (2.7-kilometer) journey to its launch pad at the Guiana Space Center in South America. Towed along dual rail tracks behind a diesel-powered Titan tug, the Ariane 5 and its mobile launch platform were transferred from the spaceport’s final assembly building to the…
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Last-second launch abort grounds two U.S.-built communications satellites
Exhaust from the Ariane 5’s Vulcain 2 main engine erupts from the flame trench at the ELA-3 launch pad at the Guiana Space Center, as birds scatter from the sound generated at ignition. Credit: Arianespace An Ariane 5 countdown in French Guiana was aborted Tuesday with the European-made rocket’s main engine already running, postponing the…
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Video: Ariane 5 countdown halted after engine start
Video credit: Arianespace Liftoff of an Ariane 5 rocket from a tropical launch pad in South America was halted moments after its main engine ignited Tuesday in a rare last-second abort for the heavy-lift launcher. The Ariane 5 was counting down to liftoff at 2151 GMT (5:51 p.m. EDT; 6:51 p.m. French Guiana time), but…
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Photos: Vega rocket lifts off from French Guiana
A four-stage Vega rocket streaked into space Tuesday night from French Guiana, hauling two Israeli-made satellites into polar orbit on military surveillance and environmental research missions. The 98-foot-tall (30-meter) rocket took off at 0158:33 GMT Wednesday (9:58:33 p.m. EDT; 10:58:33 p.m. French Guiana time) with the Optsat 3000 and Venµs spacecraft, each weighing less than a…
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Vega launcher achieves on-target deployment of Earth-imaging satellites
Firing off a launch pad on the fringes of the Amazon rainforest, a European Vega rocket climbed into space Tuesday night and deployed a new optical surveillance craft for the Italian military and a French-Israeli environmental satellite to monitor vegetation, snow cover and coastal waterways. The Optsat 3000 and Venµs satellites lifted off at 0158:33…
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Live coverage: Arianespace launches 10th Vega rocket
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a Vega rocket with the Optsat 3000 and Venµs Earth observation satellites. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter. Watch on a mobile device. Arianespace’s live video stream begins at approximately 0145 GMT (9:45 p.m. EDT).
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Vega successfully launches VENµS and OPTSAT 3000
Arianespace’s small launcher, the Vega rocket, successfully conducted the launch of the VENµS and OPTSAT 3000 satellites on Tuesday evening in what was the seventh Earth observation mission for the lightweight rocket. Lift off occurred on schedule at 01:58 UTC from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Vega Launch: The four-stage launcher is tailored to…