Ariane 5 has been given the all clear to launch on August 14 with a triple satellite payload.
It follows an Launch Readiness Review that took place in French Guiana.
Two telecommunications satellites will deployed Galaxy 30 for Intelsat, and BSAT-4b for B-SAT, both long-time Ariane customers. The launch will also carry the Mission Extension Vehicle-2 (MEV-2) for Northrop Grumman’s subsidiary, SpaceLogistics LLC, which is a first-time user of Arianespace launch services.
MEV-2 will be watched closely by European observers given its mission as a ‘life extension’ service is Intelsat’s 10-02 satellite, which is co-located with Telenor’s Thor neighbourhood at 1 degree West (359 degrees East), is the subject of the second MEV (Mission Extension Vehicle).
Intelsat 10-02 has been in geostationary orbit since 2004.
Flight VA253 has a launch window between 6:33 p.m. and 7:20 p.m. Kourou, French Guiana time (21:33 and 22:20 Universal time (UTC))
