The Ariane 4 for Flight 132 passes its dress rehersal
Two Ariane 4s are taking shape at Europe’s Spaceport as Arianespace moves ahead with Flights 132 and 133 to catch up after a four-month suspension of launch operations.
Flight 132’s nearly complete vehicle is in the ELA-2 launch zone, where its four solid propellant strap-on boosters were installed on Friday and Saturday, August 25-26.
Monday, August 28, was spent preparing for the Ariane 4’s dress rehersal, which was successfully completed the next day. The dress rehearsal included fuelling of the vehicle and conducting a simulated countdown to a point just before engine ignition.
The Ariane 4 is now ready for the launch campaign’s final phase, which will include installation of its Eutelsat W1 communications and multimedia payload. The 3,250-kg. satellite, built by Europe’s Astrium, carries 28 Ku-band transponders.
Arianespace plans to launch approximately once every three weeks through the rest of 2000. This follows the four-month suspension of missions, which ended August 17 with the successful launch of Flight 131’s Ariane 4.