Sat, Aug 13, 2005
Thaicom 4 Weighs 6.5 Tons!
Ariane Space says an Ariane 5G, a standard version of the
launcher, successfully launched into orbit the largest
communications satellite ever built, Thaicom 4 (IPstar), weighing
6.5 tons. "With this successful launch, Ariane 5 has set a world
record and once again proved its outstanding performance," said
Evert Dudok, President of EADS SPACE Transportation. "We can be
proud of this success, which is the result of the great efforts
made by all EADS-ST teams and industry partners," said Hugues
Laporte-Weywada, Director of Launchers at EADS SPACE
Transportation.
Ariane 5's solid-propellant boosters
(EAPs) are manufactured and integrated by EADS SPACE Transportation
at the launch site in French Guiana. The EAPs are ignited seven
seconds after the main cryogenic stage (EPC) Vulcain engine and
burn for about 130 seconds, delivering the main thrust at lift-off
of up to 540 tons. EADS SPACE Transportation's Les Mureaux facility
near Paris produces and integrates the EPCs.
After jettison of the EAPs at an altitude of about 65
kilometers, the launcher's sole propulsion for a flight phase of
600 seconds is delivered by the Vulcain engine, providing a thrust
of about 110 tons, the essential part of the impulse needed for
insertion into orbit.
The thrust chamber of the Vulcain engine was developed by EADS
SPACE Transportation in Ottobrunn near Munich, and the necessary
engine tests are also carried out in Germany, at Lampoldshausen
near Heilbronn.
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