Approval Is Given For The First Arianespace Mission Of 2019

Arianespace’s year-opening Ariane 5 flight has been authorized for liftoff on February 5 following today’s launch readiness review, which was conducted at the Spaceport in French Guiana.

This milestone confirmed that the heavy-lift launcher and its dual-satellite payload – comprised of Saudi Geostationary Satellite 1/Hellas Sat 4 (HS-4/SGS-1) and GSAT-31 – are flight-ready, along with the Spaceport’s infrastructure and the network of downrange tracking stations.

With approval granted, Ariane 5 is cleared for Monday’s rollout from the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building to its ELA-3 launch zone. Liftoff will occur the following day during a 61-minute launch window that opens at 6:01 p.m. local time in French Guiana.

Ariane 5 will deliver a total payload lift performance of 10,018 kg (approx. 22,000 pounds) on the mission to geostationary orbit, which is designated Flight VA247. This total includes the two satellite passengers, plus the workhorse vehicle’s dual-payload deployment system and integration hardware.

(Infographic provided with Arianespace news release)

FMI: www.arianespace.com