Alphasat experiences heaven on Earth 8 February 2013Tucked away in a vacuum chamber for several months, Europe’s largest telecom satellite has faced the harsh conditions it will deal with once it is launched into space this summer. Testing at Intespace in Toulouse, France, simulated conditions close to those Alphasat will experience in flight, including the intense cold of its transfer orbits in the early stages of the mission. http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Telecommunications_Integrated_Applications/Alphasat_experiences_heaven_on_Earth
Launcher components for the third Arianespace Ariane 5 mission of 2013 have been delivered to French Guiana, while payload preparations for this year’s second heavy-lift flight have marked a new milestone at the Spaceport.The Ariane 5 to be used for Arianespace’s no. 3 flight with its workhorse vehicle in 2013 arrived aboard the MN Colibri, which is one of two roll-on/roll-off ships used to transport Arianespace launchers from Europe to South America. This will be the 214th mission of an Ariane family vehicle – with the mission designated Flight VA214 – and is scheduled for a July liftoff with two satellite passengers.
Inmarsat Newsdesk @InmarsatNews @Cosmic_Penguin Alphasat launches on July 25 at 17:53 French Guiana time, subject to change.