Ariane Launch activity is underway once again; next mission set for June 7

Arianespace has resumed launch campaign activity at Europe’s Spaceport in
French Guiana following a forced hiatus due to the unavailability of
customer satellites.

Preparations for Arianespace’s next mission began on April 26 when the first
stage of the Ariane 4 launcher for Flight 141 was erected. This activity
occurred inside the vertical assembly hall at the Ariane 4’s ELA-2 launch
complex.

Flight 141 will carry the Intelsat 901 telecommunications satellite. The
mission uses an Ariane 44L version of the Ariane 4 workhorse family,
equipped with four liquid boosters to augment thrust during the initial
ascent phase.

Launch date for Flight 141 is June 7 – the first liftoff since March 8, when
Arianespace used an Ariane 5 to orbit the Eurobird and BSAT2-a payloads on
Flight 140.

The stand-down in launch activity since March is not the first time
Arianespace has experienced a break in missions because customer payloads
were not ready. The flexibility in Arianespace operations and the experience
of its launch teams allows the company to gear up for fast-paced launch
schedules, all while maintaining its high level of quality control.

Activity on the Flight 141 launcher is moving ahead on schedule, with the
vehicle’s second stage now mated to the Ariane 4. This week, the launcher
will be fitted with the four large liquid boosters, which are installed on
the first stage.

The Ariane 4’s third stage is to be integrated during the week of May 7,
along with the vehicle equipment bay.

Transfer of the Ariane 4 to the ELA-2 launch zone is planned for mid May,
enabling integration of the Intelsat 901 payload and final checkout of the
completed launcher.

Flight 141 is to be followed in July by an Ariane 5 mission (Flight 142),
which will carry the BSAT2-b satellite, along with either the Eutelsat
Atlantic Bird 2 or European Space Agency Artemis telecommunications payload.

The next Arianespace mission will be Flight 143, using another 44L version
of Ariane 4 to loft the Intelsat 902 spacecraft.