our #Ariane5 has been transferred from #BIL to #BAF #VA240 #CSG #Galileo
Getting closer to launch..... our babies together on the dispenser #VA240 #Galileo
ESA video: Galileo 19-22 near completion
Our fuel technicians are hard at work preparing for the launch of V240 on December 12. Their protective suits make them look a bit like astronauts, no?
Ariane 5 December 1, 2017Galileo satellites for Arianespace’s December 12 mission are ready for launcher integrationAs preparations advance for Arianespace’s year-ending flight from the Spaceport in French Guiana, the mission’s payload of four Galileo navigation satellites is now ready to join up with its Ariane 5 launcher.The spacecraft have been fueled and installed on their multi-payload dispenser system, clearing the way for transfer from the Spaceport’s S3B clean room to Ariane 5’s Final Assembly Building.Designated Flight VA240, the upcoming mission will mark Arianespace’s second use of an Ariane 5 ES version to loft spacecraft for Europe’s Galileo global navigation system – following the first four-passenger launch in November 2016 on the heavy-lift launcher. This came after seven previous missions using the medium-lift Soyuz, which carried a pair of operational satellites each.Flight VA240 at the service of a European initiativeGalileo is the European initiative to develop a global satellite navigation system. Under civilian control, it will offer a guaranteed, high-precision positioning service and features innovative technologies developed in Europe for the benefit of all citizens.The European Commission holds overall responsibility for Galileo’s management and implementation, with the European Space Agency assigned design and development of the new generation of systems and infrastructure.Each of the Galileo passengers for Flight VA240 weighs approximately 715 kg. and was built by OHB System in Germany, with U.K.-based Surrey Satellite Technology supplying the navigation payload. All four will be deployed into medium-Earth orbit by Arianespace.Scheduled for a December 12 liftoff, Ariane 5’s mission with the four Galileo spacecraft will close out a busy year of launch activity for Arianespace.The company has conducted 10 missions from French Guiana so far in 2017 – involving five launches of the heavy-lift Ariane 5, two with the medium Soyuz and three with the lightweight Vega.
Bye bye... #VA240 #Galileo
December 7, 2017The integration of Galileo satellites with Ariane 5 is complete for Arianespace’s year-ending heavy-lift missionArianespace’s Ariane 5 is now complete and ready for its mission next week from the Spaceport in French Guiana, which will orbit four more spacecraft to join the European Galileo constellation of navigation satellites.During activity in the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building, the Ariane 5’s build-up process was completed with the lowering of its ogive-shaped payload fairing over the four satellite passengers – which previously were positioned atop the launcher’s core section.Following final check-out, Ariane 5 will be ready for its rollout to the ELA-3 launch zone on Monday, December 11, positioning this vehicle for a liftoff the next day at exactly 3:36:07 p.m., local time in French Guiana.The four Galileo satellites, which are clustered around a multi-passenger dispenser system, will be deployed in two phases during the mission to medium Earth orbit (MEO) lasting 3 hours, 55 minutes.Arianespace’s Ariane 5 at the service of GalileoAriane 5’s afternoon liftoff on December 12 will be the year-ending mission in 2017 for Arianespace – completing a busy 12 months that already have involved 10 flights from the Spaceport: five performed with the heavy-lift workhorse, three utilizing the lightweight Vega and two with the medium-lift Soyuz.Designated Flight VA240 in Arianespace’s numbering system, next Tuesday’s mission will mark the second time an Ariane
Ariane 5’s final build-up activity at the Spaceport involved the launcher protective fairing’s lowering over the Flight VA240 payload of four Galileo navigation satellites installed atop the launcher vehicle’s central core.
We’re another step closer to Flight #VA240: today’s launch readiness review cleared #Ariane5 for its Dec. 12 liftoff with four #Galileo navigation satellites 🛰️🛰️🛰️🛰️ @EU_Commission @esa
Roll-out to the #ZL3 pad completed for our #Ariane5 ES launcher #VA240 #Galileo #CSG