Ariane 5 VA261 - Syracuse 4B & Heinrich Hertz - 5 July 2023 (22:00 UTC)

[Remes]

Rollout will be shown. Talk with experts in french.




Launch, also in french:

[Galactic Penguin SST]

[bolun]

https://newsroom.arianespace.com/ariane-flight-va261/

Launch kit

[jacqmans]

DLR Press Release, 14 June 2023


Heinrich Hertz mission about to launch - Final Ariane 5 flight will carry German communications satellite into space


Full article with images and videos: https://www.dlr.de/en/latest/news/2023/02/final-ariane-5-flight-will-carry-german-communications-satellite-into-space


On 16 June 2023, the time will have come. The final European Ariane 5 launcher is scheduled to lift off at 23:26 CEST (18:26 local time) from the European Spaceport at Kourou in French Guiana, carrying the German communications satellite 'Heinrich Hertz' and the French military satellite 'Syracuse 4B' into orbit. The 117th Ariane 5 flight, VA261, will release the Heinrich Hertz satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit. From there, the satellite will use its thrusters to transition into geostationary orbit and reach its target position at 0.5 degrees east, which is expected to be accomplished by early July 2023.

Heinrich Hertz will then have arrived at an altitude of approximately 36,000 kilometres in the equatorial plane and will always be situated above the same point on Earth's surface. This is located a little south of Ghana in the Atlantic Ocean. The Heinrich Hertz mission is being managed by the German Space Agency at German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (Bundesministerium fuer Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz; BMWK) and with the participation of the Federal Ministry of Defence (Bundesministerium der Verteidigung; BMVg).

"With the final lift off of an Ariane 5 launch vehicle, an era in this sector is coming to an end, while a new one in German satellite communications is beginning. The Heinrich Hertz mission will put German industry in a position to compete on an equal footing in international telecommunications. With its systems capability in the highly competitive communications satellite market, Germany is taking a decisive step towards shaping its own programmes in this sector and qualifying for a leading role in European programmes such as the IRIS² connectivity initiative," emphasises Walther Pelzer, Member of the DLR Executive Board and Director General of the German Space Agency at DLR.

Heinrich Hertz mission – enhancing Germany as a location for space activities

The Heinrich Hertz mission is providing a significant stimulus to the telecommunications satellite market in Germany and the country's position a leading technology location. The prime contractor and system integrator is OHB System AG in Bremen, while Tesat-Spacecom GmbH & Co. KG in Backnang is responsible for payload integration. In addition, 40 further industrial and research partners were involved. The development of this supplier ecosystem benefits the space economy in Germany in all its diversity. In addition, numerous European companies are involved in the project.

The findings from the Heinrich Hertz mission, together with other technological developments, can also be transferred to smaller, low-flying satellites, which are manufactured cost-effectively and in series production. The Heinrich Hertz mission is also an important step in the field of what are referred to as smart satellites. The results of the mission can help to further advance the increased flexibility and digitalisation of satellite communications technologies and prepare for contemporary topics such as artificial intelligence, quantum communications and flexible antenna technology for megaconstellations.

Ariane 5 – a legend retires

What will end with the launch of the Heinrich Hertz mission began 27 years ago. On 4 June 1996, the first launch marked the birth of Ariane 5. While the first flight was a false start, Ariane 5 developed over the following 27 years into one of the most reliable and safest launch vehicles, with 111 successful launches to date out of a total of 116. Thus, Ariane 5 was the guarantor of Europe's independent access to space for almost three decades. With the launch of the space telescopes XMM-Newton (1999) as well as Herschel and Planck (2009), the exploration of the origin and development of the universe could be significantly advanced.

Ariane 5 launched Rosetta and Philae (2004), the first mission ever to make a soft landing on a comet. The launching of the European Automated Transfer Vehicle space transporters (ATV-1 to ATV-5) ensured the delivery of supplies to the International Space Station from 2008 to 2015 and also helped to pave the way for Europe's participation in the Artemis programme.

In addition, Ariane 5 put ESA's JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) spacecraft on course for Jupiter on 14 April 2023. But it is not only institutional launches that have sent the workhorse of European spaceflight into space. Almost 150 commercial satellites and twelve Galileo satellites were safely and reliably launched with Ariane 5.

"Ariane 5 is the most successful European launch vehicle. The launch of the James Webb Space Telescope makes this particularly clear. NASA entrusted us Europeans with launching the largest and most expensive space telescope of all time. And Ariane 5 launched James Webb with such pinpoint accuracy that the telescope needed to use significantly less of its own propellants to reach its target location. This will make it possible for scientists to take measurements with the telescope for much longer than the planned ten years. In order to continue this success story of the Ariane launcher and to maintain Europe’s access to space, we must now start Ariane 6 operations as quickly as possible," says Walther Pelzer.

Ariane – a European launcher with German roots

The history of the European Ariane launchers is also a German success story. ArianeGroup in Bremen is responsible for the construction of all Ariane 5 upper stages. Part of the production and integration of the stages, including the Vehicle Equipment Bay (VEB), which also houses the on-board computer, also takes place there. ArianeGroup in Ottobrunn supplies the 'heart' of the main and upper stage engines with the combustion chambers and other propulsion technologies. MT Aerospace in Augsburg builds essential structural elements such as tank vents and booster housings. The DLR Institute of Space Propulsion in Lampoldshausen is one of two locations in Europe where the liquid-propellant engines of Ariane 5 and Ariane 6 are thoroughly tested. There are also numerous German suppliers and subcontractors.

The Heinrich Hertz Mission and its partners

The Heinrich Hertz mission marks the first launch of a dedicated German communications satellite for researching and testing new technologies and communications scenarios. The mission will thus make an important contribution to Germany's information society. The Heinrich Hertz mission is being managed by the German Space Agency at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) in Bonn on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (Bundesministerium fuer Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz; BMWK) and with the participation of the Federal Ministry of Defence (Bundesministerium der Verteidigung; BMVg). OHB System AG was contracted to develop and build the satellite. The companies IABG GmbH, MDA AG and TESAT GmbH & Co. KG are also involved in the development and testing of the satellite. OHB Digital Connect is responsible for the ground segment in collaboration with CGI. The satellite control centre is located in Bonn. The locations for the mission's new ground stations are in Hürth (North Rhine-Westphalia) and Neustrelitz (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania). Arianespace is responsible for launching the mission on board an Ariane 5 launch vehicle (VA261). A total of 42 partners are involved in the mission – 14 of them on the scientific payload.

The launch of the Heinrich Hertz satellite on the last Ariane 5 can be watched on the Arianespace YouTube Livestream from 22:26 CEST on 16 June 2023.

[Remes]

No rollout so far. Transmission planned for 12:15 local.

But door is open.

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Apparently rollout of the last Ariane 5 has been scrubbed for the day due to unspecified problems, which will delay the launch from tomorrow.

https://twitter.com/wakka44/status/1669359401394900993
Google translated:

Apparently technical problem in the BAF, no taxiing today, launch postponed.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

twitter.com/arianespace/status/1669377340428648448

It has come to light that there is a risk to the redundancy of a critical function on the Ariane 5. Consistent with safety requirements, Arianespace has decided to postpone the roll-out of the #VA261 launch vehicle.
Analyses are underway to determine a new launch date.

https://twitter.com/arianespace/status/1669377381566390272

The launcher and its satellites, Heinrich-Hertz-Satellit and SYRACUSE 4B,  are in the final assembly building in stable and safe conditions.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1669415817539366912

In a vert short (< 5 mins) briefing, Arianespace said they postponed the launch because of concerns about three pyrotechnical transmission lines after similar ones failed in tests. The suspect lines will be replaced. No new launch date, but an update planned for late June.

[Remes]

Page 6 shows some transmissions lines. So something like an explosive chord but it doesn't disseminate energy outwards. Looks like these one: https://www.dassault-aviation.com/en/space/pyrotechnics-catalogue/transmission-lines/

I'm wondering, why this issues came up in tests now. Did they qualify something for Ariane 6 and detected an anomaly? And this testing timeline is kind of weird, they tested today at 8 o'clock and found a flaw? If they tested earlier why would they wait so long?

[Remes]

From https://spacenews.com/technical-problem-postpones-final-ariane-5-launch/

- June 9: Arianespace receives information of a “nonconformance” in pyrotechnical transmission lines used on Ariane 5
- happened while acceptance testing for another program
- x-ray of those lines raised doubts
- one used in seperation system
- two used in "distance system" (that would be the small solid motors on the solid boosters I guess)
- Tests done on 4 lines on 14th/15th June
- not all tests were successful

And now CNES/ESA/Arianespace publish the press call online!

At least it seems to have been a public call:
https://newsroom.arianespace.com/flight-va261-postponement-of-the-launch/

Next time I know better.

[Remes]

Weather was good at launch time.

[Galactic Penguin SST]

SFN's manifest says it has been delayed well into July. I guess new pyrotechnic testing would take a few weeks so this sounds reasonable.

[Zed_Noir]

SFN's manifest says it has been delayed well into July. I guess new pyrotechnic testing would take a few weeks so this sounds reasonable.

Anyone know where the problematic pyrotechnic transmission lines is located? Within the Ariane 5 or the pad infrastructure?

[Galactic Penguin SST]

SFN's manifest says it has been delayed well into July. I guess new pyrotechnic testing would take a few weeks so this sounds reasonable.

Anyone know where the problematic pyrotechnic transmission lines is located? Within the Ariane 5 or the pad infrastructure?

Think of them as linear shaped pyro charges:

From https://spacenews.com/technical-problem-postpones-final-ariane-5-launch/

- June 9: Arianespace receives information of a “nonconformance” in pyrotechnical transmission lines used on Ariane 5
- happened while acceptance testing for another program
- x-ray of those lines raised doubts
- one used in seperation system
- two used in "distance system" (that would be the small solid motors on the solid boosters I guess)
- Tests done on 4 lines on 14th/15th June
- not all tests were successful

And now CNES/ESA/Arianespace publish the press call online!

At least it seems to have been a public call:
https://newsroom.arianespace.com/flight-va261-postponement-of-the-launch/

Next time I know better.

[Zed_Noir]

SFN's manifest says it has been delayed well into July. I guess new pyrotechnic testing would take a few weeks so this sounds reasonable.

Anyone know where the problematic pyrotechnic transmission lines is located? Within the Ariane 5 or the pad infrastructure?

Think of them as linear shaped pyro charges:

Muddle translation. Said transmission lines is really one use detonation cords.

So within the rocket. So the last Ariane 5 launch might get push beyond Q3 2023, since replacing the transmission lines (detonation cords) will likely be complicated.

[Remes]

Muddle translation. Said transmission lines is really one use detonation cords.

So within the rocket. So the last Ariane 5 launch might get push beyond Q3 2023, since replacing the transmission lines (detonation cords) will likely be complicated.

Look at the picture in the link, it has threads on its end. Exchanging them might be a fast process. I was more concerned, that it was the last of its type, and that spares might not be available. But seems to be a standard component.

Page 6 shows some transmissions lines. So something like an explosive chord but it doesn't disseminate energy outwards. Looks like these one: https://www.dassault-aviation.com/en/space/pyrotechnics-catalogue/transmission-lines/

And yes, detonation chord is the right term, not explosion chord. But it's different from a detonation chord as it will not destroy anything arround it. So the igniter can be placed x centimeter/inch away from a shaped charge. My assumption is, that they don't want to have the igniters directly at a linear shaped charge. That might take out igniters and redundancy if something goes wrong. By keeping several of them away at distance they can all work in a safer more compartmentalized manner. The other possible reason for transmission lines could be, that the igniters are installed at the end of integration. That might ease installation.

Edit:
One place, where transmission lines are used, are in the solid booster sep system. Manufacturer site:
https://www.kongsberg.com/kda/what-we-do/space/products/space-mechanisms/attach-and-release-mechanisms/#downloads
Pictures of the struts, which are part of the solid booster sep system. The pdf is from the side, has a cutaway from the forward mechanism.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://newsroom.arianespace.com/flight-261-new-targeted-launch-date/

The new targeted launch date for Heinrich-Hertz-Satellit and SYRACUSE 4B is July 4.

Following the replacement of the three pyrotechnical transmission lines identified as doubtful on the Ariane 5 launcher as well as a comprehensive review of all pyrotechnical lines, Arianespace decided to resume the launch campaign for VA261.

Initially scheduled for June 16, the new targeted launch date for VA261 is July 4, 2023, as soon as possible within the following launch window:

Between 05:30 p.m. and 07:05 p.m. Washington, D.C. time,
Between 06:30 p.m. and 08:05 p.m. Kourou time,
Between 09:30 p.m. and 11:05 p.m. Universal time (UTC),
Between 11:30 p.m. and 01:05 a.m., July 5, Paris time,
Between 06:30 a.m. and 08:05 a.m., July 5, Tokyo time.

The Ariane 5 launch vehicle and its passengers Heinrich-Hertz-Satellit and SYRACUSE 4B are in stable and safe conditions.

[Galactic Penguin SST]

New video links:

Launch



Final rollout

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/arianegroup/status/1675898227214671875

✨ Before the big finish, our diva is finally ready for the opening of the curtain. One last time let’s give it up for Ariane 5’s rooooollll ouuuut! 🚙🚀
@esa @arianespace @CNES @EuropeSpacePort
#Va261 #OneLastAriane5 #ArianeGroup #Ariane5
©️ArianeGroup

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1675917351265378313

Covering the upcoming launches this week:

nasaspaceflight.com/2023/07/launch… - by Justin Davenport (@Bubbinski)

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2023/07/launch-roundup-july_2_9/