Arianespace’s fourth Ariane 5 mission of 2013 has been approved for liftoff on Thursday, August 29, with two communications satellites to provide relay coverage over the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, along with the Indian land mass.
The authorisation followed Tuesday’s successful launch readiness review conducted at the Spaceport in French Guiana. This procedure – held prior to all Arianespace missions – validated the “go” status of the launcher, its dual payload of the Eutelsat 25B/Es’hail 1 and GSAT-7 satellites, the Spaceport’s infrastructure and the system of downrange tracking stations.
With today’s review, the Ariane 5 is now cleared for rollout tomorrow from the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building to the ELA-3 launch zone – where it will be readied for liftoff on August 29 during a 50-minute launch window opening at 5:30 pm local time in French Guiana.
The Ariane 5 is to deliver an estimated total lift performance of 9,790 kg. – including Eutelsat 25B/Es’hail 1 and GSAT-7, along with hardware for the launcher’s dual-payload deployment system.
The launch this Thursday is designated Flight VA215 in Arianespace’s numbering system, signifying the 215th flight of an Ariane family vehicle.
