Final Ariane 4 launch a success
Posted: Sat, Feb 15, 2003, 9:51 AM ET (1451 GMT)
An Ariane 4 booster successfully placed an Intelsat communications satellite into orbit in the final mission for the venerable booster. The Ariane 44L lifted off from Kourou, French Guiana at 2:00 am EST (0700 GMT) Saturday after three days of delays because of strong upper-level winds. The booster placed its payload, the Intelsat 907 communications satellite, into a geosynchronous transfer orbit 21 minutes after liftoff. Intelsat 907 is a Space Systems/Loral 1300-series spacecraft that will provide C- and Ku-band services for the Americas, Europe, and Africa from 27.5 degrees west longitude. The launch was the last Ariane 4 launch, as Arianespace retires the booster in favor of the heavy-lift Ariane 5. The Ariane 4 flew 116 times between June 1998 and Saturday, with the final 74 launches all successful. The next Ariane launch is scheduled for late March, when a "generic" Ariane 5 launches the Insat-3A and Galaxy 12 communications spacecraft. That will be the first launch for the Ariane 5 since the failure of the inaugural launch of the more powerful Ariane 5 ECA in December 2002.
An Ariane 4 booster successfully placed an Intelsat communications satellite into orbit in the final mission for the venerable booster. The Ariane 44L lifted off from Kourou, French Guiana at 2:00 am EST (0700 GMT) Saturday after three days of delays because of strong upper-level winds. The booster placed its payload, the Intelsat 907 communications satellite, into a geosynchronous transfer orbit 21 minutes after liftoff. Intelsat 907 is a Space Systems/Loral 1300-series spacecraft that will provide C- and Ku-band services for the Americas, Europe, and Africa from 27.5 degrees west longitude. The launch was the last Ariane 4 launch, as Arianespace retires the booster in favor of the heavy-lift Ariane 5. The Ariane 4 flew 116 times between June 1998 and Saturday, with the final 74 launches all successful. The next Ariane launch is scheduled for late March, when a "generic" Ariane 5 launches the Insat-3A and Galaxy 12 communications spacecraft. That will be the first launch for the Ariane 5 since the failure of the inaugural launch of the more powerful Ariane 5 ECA in December 2002.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Friday, October 31
SpaceX targeting Friday for Starlink mission from Vandenberg SFB
Santa Maria (CA) Times — 7:30 am ET (1130 GMT) U.S. Launch Sites Prep for Future Growth
Aviation Week — 7:26 am ET (1126 GMT) South Korea to launch 5th spy satellite from U.S. space base Sunday
JoongAng Daily — 7:25 am ET (1125 GMT) Rocket Lab at 20: From pipe dream to $50 billion space empire
BusinessDesk — 7:25 am ET (1125 GMT) Blue Origin Completes New Glenn Static Hot Fire
Aviation Week — 7:22 am ET (1122 GMT) |
