Arianespace Flight 154 The launch is a “go” for this Friday

Arianespace’s 10th mission of 2002 was given the green light today for its
early Friday morning liftoff.

The go-ahead followed the traditional launch readiness review, which
evaluated the status of the Ariane 4 vehicle, its Intelsat 906 payload, the
Spaceport launch infrastructure and the down-range tracking stations.

Liftoff of Flight 154 is set at the start of a one-hour launch window, which
opens on September 6 at 3:44 a.m. (local time at the Spaceport in French
Guiana).

The Intelsat 906 payload will be the 22nd payload launched by Arianespace
and is the 6th spacecraft in the telecommunications operator’s generation IX
satellite carried aboard Ariane.

Intelsat 906 carried 72 C-band transponders and 22 Ku-band transponders
(both in 36 MHz equivalent units).

Built by Space Systems/Loral in Palo Alto, California, Intelsat 906 was will
be positioned at 64.15 deg. East. It is to join Intelsat’s fleet of relay
spacecraft that provide Internet, broadcast, telephony and corporate network
solutions services for the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Flight 154 will come just one week after the successful Ariane 5 mission on
August 28 that orbited a dual payload of ATLANTIC BIRDTM 1 and MSG-1.