Ariane Flight 162: Ariane 5 is ready for its build-up

The next Ariane 5 Generic launcher is ready for its build-up process at the
Spaceport in French Guiana.

Our pictures below show some of the action as the launch campaign for Flight
162 picks up speed. Liftoff of Arianespace’s third Ariane 5 mission in 2003
is set for late August.

One of the Ariane 5’s two solid propellant booster stages was transferred
today by rail from its production site to the Launcher Integration Building,
where it will be mated to the vehicle’s cryogenic core central stage. EADS
Launch Vehicles has overall responsibility for the booster stage, while the
solid rocket motor is produced by Europropulsion (a joint venture company of
France’s Snecma and Avio SpA of Italy). With a total height of 31.4 meters,
the stage carries 238 metric tons of solid propellant and burns for 129
seconds during the liftoff and initial ascent.

In activity yesterday, the cryogenic core main stage for Ariane 5 is being
raised from the container that protected this launcher component during its
shipment from Europe. The core stage is produced by EADS Launch Vehicles and
carries cryogenic propellant for the launcher’s Vulcain main engine.

The cryogenic main stage was raised to the vertical position in preparation
for its positioning over the Ariane 5’s mobile launch table. This activity
took place in the Spaceport’s Launcher Integration Building. The stage’s
Vulcain main engine is clearly visible in this photograph, with its nozzle
wrapped in purple-colored protective covering. Also protected by the
covering is the stage’s pressurization bottle for the liquid oxygen
propellant tank, the hydraulic generation unit and the control system’s
helium bottle.