24-hour delay for Astra 3B launch

Arianespace has postponed the Ariane 5 mission carrying the Astra 3B and Comsat/Bw-2 satellite payloads.

Ariane Flight V194 was originally scheduled for launch on March 24 from its Kourou launch site in French Guiana. UPDATE – The launch will now take place on Friday, March 26. You can follow the live cast from the Arianespace website starting at 21.43 GMT.

“This delay is in line with Arianespace’s policy of ensuring the total readiness of its launchers as part of the company’s commitment to quality and reliability,” the company said.

Ariane 5, with its integrated payload, is in a safe mode inside the Final Assembly Building at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

The company’s biggest launcher, Ariane 5, was expected to carry the Astra 3B and Comsat/Bw-2 satellites into space. It is also Arianespace’s first shoot in 2010.

The two communication satellites are “in safe mode inside the final assembly building at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana,” the statement added.

(On the picture the Astra 3B satellite was airlifted to French Guiana by an Antonov An-124 cargo jetliner, which landed at Rochambeau International Airport near Cayenne; courtesy Arianespace)