Vega: First launch July 2011Soyuz at GSG: First launch April 2011
With the financing delay having slowed work at the manufacturer, it will be a challenge for O3b to deliver on its promised milestone of getting two groups of four satellites delivered in time for launches, in the first half of 2013, aboard Russian-built Soyuz rockets operating from the vehicle’s new commercial base at Europe’s French Guiana spaceport, industry officials said.Rigolle said Thales Alenia Space has indicated there is plenty of time to meet the current schedule. “We think our plan for two launches, four satellites each, in the first half of 2013 is solid,” he said.
Quote from: Jester on 11/19/2010 06:20 pmOh, and it looks like "somebody up high" likes taking risks and it seems we will go first on Soyuz from CSG...The problem is that Galileo launch requires Soyuz-STB rocket, which is not in Kourou, and that there was agreement that the first launch will be with Soyuz-STA use. The problem is that French Ministry of Defense does not want to launch Pléiades satellite in the first flight. The Soyuz-STA dry rollout to the launch pad will be in February 2011 and, after that, the first launch will depend on payload: if Pléiades - then launch in May, if Galileo - then August/September 2011.
Oh, and it looks like "somebody up high" likes taking risks and it seems we will go first on Soyuz from CSG...
Final preparations for the launch of the Metop-B polar-orbiting weather satellite in mid-2012 aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket operated by the French-Russian Starsem joint venture, and a late-2012 launch of the third Meteosat Second Generation geostationary-orbiting satellite as a co-passenger on a European Ariane 5 rocket.
The French Defense Ministry on Dec. 2 announced it has ordered two high-resolution optical and infrared reconnaissance spacecraft from Astrium Satellites and Thales Alenia Space in a $1.1 billion contract that calls for the first satellite to be launched in December 2016.
The two post-Helios satellites are called CSO, a French acronym for Optical Space Component.
The contract with Astrium and Thales Alenia Space includes an option for a third satellite that could be built if and when other nations elect to join the French CSO program.
http://www.spacenews.com/civil/101202-france-orders-two-recon-satellites.htmlQuoteThe French Defense Ministry on Dec. 2 announced it has ordered two high-resolution optical and infrared reconnaissance spacecraft from Astrium Satellites and Thales Alenia Space in a $1.1 billion contract that calls for the first satellite to be launched in December 2016.QuoteThe two post-Helios satellites are called CSO, a French acronym for Optical Space Component.QuoteThe contract with Astrium and Thales Alenia Space includes an option for a third satellite that could be built if and when other nations elect to join the French CSO program.
PARIS — The French-Italian Sicral 2 military telecommunications satellite will be placed into geostationary orbit as a co-passenger on Europe’s heavy-lift Ariane 5 ECA rocket in late 2013 under a contract the Arianespace commercial launch consortium announced Dec. 6.
The scheduled Dec. 21 launch of an Ariane 5 ECA rocket carrying two telecommunications satellites has slipped to at least Dec. 27 following a problem with one of the satellites’ components, which will be replaced, industry officials said Dec. 3.
Arianespace’s year-ending Ariane 5 flight for 2010 has been rescheduled to December 28, allowing one of the mission’s customers to perform complementary checks on its payload.
Satellite operator Arsat of Argentina has selected Thales Alenia Space to provide the electronics payload for an Arsat 2 telecommunications satellite to be launched into Argentina’s 81 degrees west orbital slot in 2013, Thales Alenia Space announced Dec. 15.
The first satellite of the series ARSAT-1, will start to operate in the 72° W geostationary position as from 2012, and the other two will be operative in 2013 (ARSAT-2) and 2014 (ARSAT-3), with a life of 15 years.Arianespace launchers, chosen to put ARSAT satellites in orbit. ARSAT-1will be launched from French Guiana (by the Ariane-V or Soyuz launchers).
Arianespace will meet new challenges in 2011, as the complete European family of launch vehicles enters service. No less than six Ariane 5 launches are scheduled, including for the ATV 2, “Johannes Kepler”, on February 15. Arianespace will begin operating the Soyuz launch complex in April, and plans to carry out at least two Soyuz launches during the year from the Guiana Space Center. At the same time, Arianespace has planned three Soyuz launches from the Cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Arianespace and ESA have also signed the production contract for the first operational launch of the Vega light launcher, while Arianespace and ELV have signed the VERTA framework contract concerning the supply of five Vega launchers following the qualification flight. Arianespace will take over responsibility for Vega launch facilities at the end of June, then carry out the first Vega launch during the second half of the year. Arianespace plans a total of 12 launches in 2011.
The Eutelsat AB7 mission in 2011 planned for Sea Launch has been moved to Ariane.
On the sidelines of the Space Summit session at the 98th Indian Science Congress Wednesday, T.K. Alex, director of the ISRO Satellite Centre, said: 'In March/April, we will launch communication satellites GSAT-8 from French Guyana using Ariane rocket. Later this year or early 2012, GSAT-10 will be launched again by Ariane.'
