Following a 24-hour delay due to bad weather conditions, Ariane flight VA216 is now ready for lift-off tonight, March 22, at 7:04 pm local time in French Guiana (10.04pm GMT).
Arianespace has delivered another Ariane 5 to the launch zone at Europe’s Spaceport, positioning this workhorse vehicle for liftoff tomorrow with a pair of telecommunications satellites: Astra 5B and Amazonas 4A.
The vehicle rolled out before sunrise from the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building for Ariane 5 to the ELA-3 launch zone, where it is scheduled for liftoff during a 58-minute launch window.
For the 73rd overall flight of an Ariane 5, the payload lift performance is more than 9,575 kg. – which includes a combined total of some 8,755 kg. for the two payloads – to be orbited for customers SES and Hispasat – plus the launcher’s dual-passenger dispenser system and satellite integration hardware.
The launch can be followed live on the Arianespace TV website. (On the picture: The Ariane 5 for Flight VA216 begins its rollout to the Spaceport’s ELA-3 launch zone, illuminated by the Final Assembly Building during the pre-sunrise transfer in French Guiana)
