LIVE: Ariane 5 ECA launch - NSS 12 / Thor-6 - October 29, 2009

[anik]

http://www.arianespace.com/news-mission-update/2009/625.asp

"Separately, the components for another Ariane 5 arrived in French Guiana yesterday, delivered by the MN Colibri – which is one of two roll-on/roll-off sea-going vessels operated for Arianespace to transport launch vehicles from their European manufacturers to South America. The elements for this latest Ariane 5 will be moved by road from Pariacabo port near Kourou to the Spaceport, enabling its assembly to begin shortly in the Launcher Integration Building"

[jacqmans]

The Ariane 5 for Arianespace's sixth flight of 2009 is ready for assembly

August 21, 2009

http://www.arianespace.com/news-mission-update/2009/630.asp

Launcher elements for the sixth mission in 2009 with Arianespace’s workhorse Ariane 5 in 2009 are now at the Spaceport, and are ready for assembly as the newest heavy-lift vehicle.

These components were delivered to South America earlier in the week aboard the MN Colibri, which is one of two sea-going vessels that transport Arianespace launchers from their manufacturers in Europe.

Using the MN Colibri’s roll-on/roll-off configuration, the Ariane 5’s cryogenic core stage and upper stage were driven from the ship at Pariacabo port near the city of Kourou to the Spaceport – where they were positioned in the Launcher Integration Building’s receiving area.   

This launcher will be the 192nd Ariane family vehicle assembled at the Spaceport.  It is part of a record year for mission activity with the Ariane 5, during which Arianespace is targeting a total of seven launches.

[anik]

Assembly begins for the sixth Ariane 5 to be launched by Arianespace in 2009
September 9, 2009

http://www.arianespace.com/news-mission-update/2009/635.asp

Arianespace’s ability to maintain its Ariane 5 mission pace is underscored by the latest parallel launch campaign activity at Europe’s Spaceport, where two of the heavy-lift vehicles are being prepared for upcoming launches.

The photo report, below, provides highlights of the assembly start-up for the sixth Ariane 5 for launch in 2009, which is now being assembled in the Launcher Integration Building.

Nearby in the Final Assembly Building, an Ariane 5 that earlier completed its build-up process is awaiting the installation of its two satellite payloads – Germany’s COMSATBw-1 military communications satellite and the Amazonas 2 commercial relay spacecraft for Spain’s HISPASAT.

Arianespace is planning a total of seven Ariane 5 flights in 2009 – making it the busiest calendar year of mission activity for this workhorse launch vehicle.

[anik]

Launch campaigns for Arianespace’s two upcoming Ariane 5 flights reach new milestones
September 17, 2009

http://www.arianespace.com/news-mission-update/2009/637.asp

"As payload preparations continue for Arianespace’s fifth Ariane 5 flight of 2009, the sixth launch vehicle for this year has completed its basic build-up in the Spaceport’s Launcher Integration Building.  It was “topped off” with the ESC-A cryogenic upper stage and vehicle equipment bay – which were installed as a single unit.  The combined integration step is part of a streamlined process for Ariane 5’s build-up, which optimizes the preparation workflow and enables Arianespace to maintain the rapid-paced mission with its workhorse vehicle.
Following additional integration and checkout, this launcher will be ready for transfer to the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building, which will open up once the fifth Ariane 5 of 2009 rolls out to the launch zone with its Amazonas 2 and COMSATBw-1 satellite payloads.

Arianespace has scheduled a total of seven Ariane 5 flights in 2009, making it the busiest year of launch activity since the workhorse vehicle entered commercial service in 1999.  The four Ariane 5 flights performed so far in 2009 orbited a combined payload mass of more than 26,000 kg"

[anik]

An Ocean Voyage For Thor 6
September 24, 2009

http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=1214474061

The Thor 6 satellite, owned by Telenor Satellite Broadcasting AS, a subsidiary of Norway’s telecommunication provider Telenor, is ready to be shipped to Kourou in French Guyana for launch.

The launch is scheduled for an Ariane 5 on October 29, 2009. Thales Alenia Space is the prime contractor of the spacecraft, which will be launched by Arianespace for service over Nordics and Central European regions from the 1 degree West orbital location. Thor 6 is scheduled to leave the Thales Alenia Space Cannes plant on September 28th. Based on Thales Alenia Space Spacebus 4000 B2 platform, Thor 6 has a launch mass of 3,050 kg at launch and is fitted with 36 Ku-band transponders. This 7 Kw bird will provide high power services over Europe during a minimum of 15 years lifetime. Thor 6 will provide high power DTH television broadcasting services. It will replace Thor 3, which is set to retire in 2010, and will also provide additional transponder capacity.

[satlaunch]

SES WORLD SKIES’ NSS-12 Satellite Arrives At Kourou Launch Base

Launch on Ariane 5 slated for October 29

The Hague, September 28th, 2009 - SES WORLD SKIES, an SES company (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) announces that its NSS-12 satellite has safely arrived at the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, onboard an Antonov cargo plane. The NSS-12 spacecraft, manufactured by Space Systems/Loral (SSL), a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications (NASDAQ: LORL), will now be readied for launch onboard an Ariane 5 booster, scheduled for lift off on October 29, 2009.

The powerful, state-of-the-art NSS-12 satellite will provide comprehensive and robust coverage of some of the world’s fastest-growing markets. The spacecraft will replace NSS-703 at 57 degrees East and cover virtually the entire Eastern Hemisphere, bringing increased capacity and transmission power to a key orbital location at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia. The spacecraft features 40 C-band transponders and 48 Ku-band transponders with DTH power levels, as well as elaborate beam interconnectivity and C-/Ku-band cross-strapping. NSS-12 is based on SS/L’s space-proven 1300 platform and has been designed to have a minimum expected lifetime of 15 years.

NSS-12 will deliver DTH power and performance through four regional Ku-band spot beams over the Middle East and Europe, Central and South Asia and, for the first time, East Africa. The satellite’s high-capacity, high-power C-band hemispheric beams – one covering Europe, Africa (including Mauritius) and the Middle East, and the other stretching across Asia to Australia – have been augmented by a powerful C-band global beam spanning from the UK to the Far East. The satellite will reach an estimated two-thirds of the world’s population.

States Rob Bednarek, President and CEO of SES WORLD SKIES: “NSS-12 will be the largest and most powerful satellite in the SES WORLD SKIES fleet and an important spacecraft in our strategy going forward. The new satellite will allow us to provide seamless continuity and significant incremental capacity at a key orbital location, allowing existing and future customers to introduce new services, expand into new markets and replicate the success of the various video, government and enterprise applications currently transmitted via 57 degrees East.”

“SES currently has three additional spacecraft under construction with Space Systems/Loral, but NSS-12 marks the first SS/L launch for the SES Group,” said Martin Halliwell, President of SES ENGINEERING. “We look forward to another Ariane-5 success as the combined teams of Arianespace, Space Systems/Loral and SES go through the NSS-12 launch count down over the next few weeks.”
 
http://www.ses.com/ses/siteSections/newsroom/Latest_News/index.php?pressRelease=/pressReleases/pressReleaseList/09-09-28/index.php

[satlaunch]

The NSS-12 and THOR 6 payloads arrive at the Spaceport for Ariane 5's sixth launch of 2009
September 30, 2009

http://www.arianespace.com/news-mission-update/2009/643.asp

Both satellite payloads for the sixth Ariane 5 flight of this year are now at the Spaceport in French Guiana as Arianespace maintains its rapid mission rate to meet the launch timing for a global customer base.

SES WORLD SKIES’ NSS-12 spacecraft and THOR 6 for Telenor Satellite Broadcasting arrived aboard separate cargo jetliners at Rochambeau International Airport near the French Guiana capital city of Cayenne, and were transferred to the Spaceport to begin their final check-out.

NSS-12 was manufactured by Space Systems/Loral and is to provide comprehensive coverage for some of the world’s fastest-growing markets.  It will replace the NSS-703 relay platform at 57 deg. East, serving virtually the entire Eastern Hemisphere.

This spacecraft will bring increased capacity and transmission power for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia.  NSS-12 is equipped with 40 C-band transponders and 48 Ku-band transponders with direct-to-home TV delivery power levels, as well as elaborate beam interconnectivity and C-/Ku-band cross-strapping. The NSS-12 is based on Space Systems/Loral’s 1300 platform and has been designed to have a minimum expected lifetime of 15 years.

Joining NSS-12 at the Spaceport for the next Ariane 5 mission is THOR 6, which will strengthen Telenor Satellite Broadcasting’s television broadcast coverage over Central and Eastern Europe, while also providing additional capacity in the Nordic region.  It will deliver high-power direct-to-home television services from the 1deg. West orbital position.

Based on Thales Alenia Space’s Spacebus 4000B2 platform, THOR 6 is fitted with 36 Ku-band transponders -- 16 of which will serve the Nordic countries, while the 20 other transponders will provide capacity for the growing broadcasting demands within Central and Eastern Europe.

The Ariane 5 mission with NSS-12 and THOR 6 will be the 192nd launch of an Ariane family vehicle.  Its flight will follow the October 1 departure of an Ariane 5 that is ready for liftoff with the Amazonas 2 civilian telecommunications satellite for HISPASAT and Germany’s COMSATBw-1 military relay spacecraft for the German Armed Forces.

[jacqmans]

http://www.arianespace.com/news-mission-update/2009/646.asp

Preparations for Arianespace’s next launch are well advanced, with the basic build-up of this flight’s Ariane 5 completed in the Spaceport’s Launcher Integration Building.  It is ready for a transfer to the Final Assembly Building, where the heavy-lift vehicle will be equipped with a dual payload of the NSS-12 and THOR 6 commercial telecommunications satellites. This mission is planned for the end of October.

Both NSS-12 and THOR 6 have been delivered to the Spaceport, where they now are undergoing the pre-launch verification process.

Arianespace remains on track to perform a total of seven Ariane 5 flights in 2009, which will make this the busiest year of launch activity since the workhorse vehicle’s commercial introduction in 1999.

[satlaunch]

According to the countdown clock at http://www.telenorsbc.com/ launch will be at 20:38 UTC.

[jacqmans]

Arianespace takes delivery of the sixth Ariane 5 for launch in 2009
October 12, 2009

http://www.arianespace.com/news-mission-update/2009/647.asp

The next Ariane 5 mission has moved into its final preparation phase as the vehicle for this sixth flight of 2009 is delivered to Arianespace, keeping the company on track for its busiest year of launch activity ever with the commercial heavy-lift workhorse.

Following its rollout from the Spaceport’s Launcher Integration Building in French Guiana – where the vehicle’s basic build-up was performed by prime contractor EADS Astrium Space Transportation – the Ariane 5 ECA was transferred to the Final Assembly Building, where its dual payload will be installed under Arianespace responsibility.

The mission is scheduled for liftoff late this month, carrying SES WORLD SKIES’ NSS-12 spacecraft and THOR 6 for Telenor Satellite Broadcasting.

NSS-12 was manufactured by Space Systems/Loral based on the company’s 1300 spacecraft platform and is designed to reach an estimated two-thirds of the world’s population.  As a replacement for NSS-703 at 57 deg. East, NSS-12 is to serve virtually the entire Eastern Hemisphere with its 40 C-band transponders and 48 Ku-band transponders, providing direct-to-home TV delivery power levels, as well as elaborate beam interconnectivity and C-/Ku-band cross-strapping. 

Its direct-to-home coverage will be handled through four regional Ku-band spot beams covering the Middle East and Europe, Central and South Asia and – for the first time – East Africa.  NSS-12’s high-capacity, high-power C-band hemispheric beams are configured for Europe, Africa (including Mauritius) and the Middle East, as well as an area stretching across Asia to Australia.  They will be augmented by a powerful C-band global beam that reaches from the United Kingdom to the Far East.
 
The second payload for Arianespace’s next Ariane 5 mission is THOR 6, which is to deliver high-power direct-to-home television services from the 1 deg. West orbital position.  This relay platform will strengthen Telenor Satellite Broadcasting’s television broadcast coverage over Central and Eastern Europe, while also providing additional capacity in the Nordic region. 

THOR 6 is fitted 36 Ku-band transponders - 16 of which will serve the Nordic countries, while the 20 other transponders will provide capacity for the growing broadcasting demands within Central and Eastern Europe.  It is based on Thales Alenia Space’s Spacebus 4000B2 spacecraft design.

The upcoming mission with THOR 6 and NSS-12 maintains Arianespace’s sustained launch pace in 2009, during which the company plans a record seven Ariane 5 flights.  It follows the launcher’s most recent success: the October 1 flight that orbited the Amazonas 2 civilian relay platform for Spain’s HISPASAT and the German COMSATBw-1 secure military communications satellite.

[anik]

Launch window will be from 20:00 to 21:40 UTC.

Source

[Stephan]

And the launch-kit is available here :
http://www.arianespace.com/news-launch-kits/launch-kit.asp

[anik]

Payload installation is underway for Arianespace’s sixth Ariane 5 mission of 2009
October 20, 2009

http://www.arianespace.com/news-mission-update/2009/649.asp

Payload integration of Arianespace’s sixth Ariane 5 for launch in 2009 has begun at the Spaceport, with the mission’s lower payload – THOR 6 for Telenor Satellite Broadcasting – now installed atop the heavy-lift vehicle.

This activity is taking place inside the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building, where the Ariane 5 has entered its last phase of preparations leading to an evening liftoff on October 29.  THOR 6 is located as the lower passenger, and will be joined by SES WORLD SKIES’ NSS-12 spacecraft – which is to ride in the upper position of Ariane 5’s payload “stack.”

The 3,050-kg. THOR 6 relay platform is outfitted 36 Ku-band transponders - 16 of which will serve the Nordic countries, while the other 20 will provide capacity for growing broadcasting demands within Central and Eastern Europe.  It is based on Thales Alenia Space’s Spacebus 4000B2 spacecraft configuration, and has a design lifetime of 15 years.

THOR 6 is to deliver high-power direct-to-home television services from the 1 deg. West orbital position, strengthening Telenor Satellite Broadcasting’s television coverage over Central and Eastern Europe, while also providing additional capacity in the Nordic region.

[Lewis007]

Check out the Telenor website for more info on the Thor-6 satellite, including a gallery page. A nice addition, considering the fact that the number of pictures of the launch campaign provided by Arianespace is bit low this time.
http://www.telenorsbc.com/templates/Page.aspx?id=746

The CNES launch sticker for this flight has also become available (see attachment).

[anik]

Payload integration is completed with NSS-12 and THOR 6 for Ariane 5’s next mission
October 22, 2009

http://www.arianespace.com/news-mission-update/2009/650.asp

The Ariane 5 for Arianespace’s October 29 mission is now complete following the installation of its second payload – the NSS-12 satellite for telecommunications operator SES WORLD SKIES.

Encapsulated in an ogive-shaped protective fairing, NSS-12 was mated atop Ariane 5, positioning it as the launch vehicle’s upper passenger.  Located below it in the launcher payload “stack” is the mission’s lower passenger, Telenor Satellite Broadcasting’s THOR 6 relay platform.

This integration activity took place in the Final Assembly Building at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, enabling a last series of preparation milestones to begin – including the launch readiness review on October 27, followed by Ariane 5’s rollout to the ELA-3 launch zone on the next day and the countdown to an October 29 evening liftoff during a 40-minute launch window that opens at 5:00 p.m. local time in French Guiana.

Ariane 5 is to deliver a payload lift performance of 9,515 kg. during the upcoming mission, which includes a combined total of about 8,700 kg. for the NSS-12 and THOR 6 spacecraft, plus the launch vehicle’s dual-passenger dispenser system and satellite integration hardware.

NSS-12 was produced in the United States by Space Systems/Loral based on its SS/L 1300 platform, and weighs approximately 5,700 kg. for liftoff.   The powerful spacecraft is outfitted with 48 active Ku-band transponders and 40 C-band transponders, and will be operated by SES WORLD SKIES from a geostationary orbit of 57 degrees East – providing direct-to-home television broadcast services for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia.

THOR 6 will be the first satellite launched by Arianespace for Telenor Satellite Broadcasting AS, a subsidiary of the Norwegian operator Telenor.  This 3,000-kg. payload was built in Europe by Thales Alenia Space using a Spacebus 4000B2 platform, and carries 36 Ku-band transponders.  It will be positioned at 1 degree West, and is to distribute direct-to-home services to the Nordic region and throughout Central and Eastern Europe.

The October 29 mission is Arianespace’s sixth flight of 2009, and will be followed by the seventh launch with an Ariane 5 that currently is being readied in the Launcher Integration Building at the Spaceport.

[Holi]

October 27, 2009:

Launch readiness review clears Ariane 5 for Arianespace’s October 29 liftoff

Arianespace’s sixth Ariane 5 flight of 2009 has been approved for its October 29 liftoff following today’s launch readiness review, performed at the Spaceport in French Guiana.

This traditional milestone prior to every Ariane mission validated the heavy-lift launch vehicle’s status, along with the NSS-12 and THOR 6 satellite payloads, the infrastructure at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana and the network of downrange tracking stations.

The readiness review clears Ariane 5 for tomorrow’s transfer from the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building to the ELA-3 launch zone, followed by a final countdown leading to the liftoff during a 1 hr. 40 minute launch window that opens on October 29 at 5:00 p.m. local time in French Guiana....

http://www.arianespace.com/news-mission-update/2009/652.asp

Webcast Start Time 19:40 UTC, October 29:

http://www.videocorner.tv/videocorner2/live_flv/index.php?langue=en

Holi

[Holi]

October 28, 2009:

Ariane 5 rolls out to the launch pad:

http://www.arianespace.com/news-mission-update/2009/653.asp

...Arianespace’s next Ariane 5 mission of 2009 is ready for the final countdown following today’s rollout of the flight’s heavy-lift launch vehicle at the Spaceport in French Guiana.

The Ariane 5 was moved from its Final Assembly Building to the ELA-3 launch zone during a 1 hr., 15 min. transfer process, which occurred under partly sunny skies...

Holi

[Lewis007]

The EADS launch kit for this mission is now available

[Satori]

Moved for live coverage...

[Chris Bergin]

15 mins to the webcast. AWFUL music!