The Ariane 5 for Arianespace’s upcoming mission from French Guiana is now complete following integration of the two satellite passengers: SES-14 for operator SES and Yahsat’s Al Yah 3 — both of these satellites will be delivered to geostationary transfer orbit on a flight planned for January 25.
The Al Yah 3 satellite being installed atop Ariane 5’s core stage inside the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building.
Photo is courtesy of Arianespace.
Encapsulated in the ogive-shaped protective fairing, SES-14 has been positioned atop Al Yah 3, which was installed on the launcher’s cryogenic core stage during previous activity inside the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building for Ariane 5. These successive integration steps enable a new series of preparation milestones to begin. They include the launch readiness review on January 23, which is to be followed by Ariane 5’s roll-out to the ELA-3 launch zone the next day.
Liftoff is scheduled during a 45 minute launch window opening January 25 at 7:20 p.m., local time, in French Guiana, with the two spacecraft to be deployed on a flight lasting approximately 35 minutes.Ariane 5 will deliver a total payload lift performance of more than 9,100 kg. during the mission — this combined mass factors in the SES-14 and the Al Yah 3, as well as the launch vehicle’s dual-passenger dispenser system and satellite integration hardware.
Next week’s mission is designated VA241, marking the 241st flight using an Ariane vehicle since this European series of launchers entered service in 1979. It kicks off another busy year of activity for Arianespace, which has the objective of performing as many as 14 missions in 2018 with its full launcher family — consisting of the heavy-lift Ariane 5, medium-lift Soyuz and lightweight Vega.
