Flight 142: Fueling of the Ariane 5 begins

Fueling of Flight 142’s Ariane 5 launcher began this weekend as final
preparations continue on schedule for the Thursday, July 12, liftoff.

On Friday and Saturday, June 6-7, ground crews fueled the launcher’s
attitude control system (located in the vehicle equipment bay) with
hydrazine, and loaded the storable propellant upper stage with MMH
hypergolic fuel. This activity occurred with the Ariane 5 in the final
assembly building.

The next step will be the launch rehearsal early this week, when a mock
countdown will validate the procedures up to the point of engine ignition. A
launch readiness review will follow, clearing the Ariane 5 for its rollout
to the launch pad on Wednesday, July 11.

The European Space Agency reported that its Artemis experimental
telecommunications satellite is ready for liftoff. Artemis is the upper
passenger, riding atop the launcher with the Japanese BSAT-2b direct
broadcasting spacecraft, built by Orbital Sciences Corp.

Artemis (the acronym for Advanced Relay Technology Mission) is designed to
play a pivotal role in developing future European and global communications
systems. Its three main missions are:

Mobile communications: Using Artemis, a mobile user will be able to link up
at competitive prices from anywhere in Europe, North Africa and the Middle
East to any fixed user in the same area. The satellite’s coverage zone also
includes large ocean areas, allowing voice or data connections to land from
the Mediterranean, North Sea and eastern zone of the Atlantic.

Satellite navigation: Artemis will create the basis for a globally
integrated satellite-based navigation system. The satellite will pave the
way for a system reliable enough to be used in aircraft navigation, it and
will add corrections to the existing Global Positioning Satellite (GPS)
system signals.

Data relay: Its data relay payload will allow Artemis to play a vital role
in relaying data between other satellites and the ground. For example, the
European Space Agency’s Envisat environmental spacecraft (which will be
launched by an Ariane 5 later this year) willbe able to transmit its data
more efficiently via Artemis, which then will relay the information directly
to Earth-based ground stations. Artemis also carries SILEX, a payload that
will test the use of laser/light beam communications – using the Spot 4
satellite for the experimental links.