ARIANE LAUNCHES are to be resumed in mid-February. Arianespace made the announcement following the release of the findings by the official inquiry into the loss of the Ariane V70 and its PanAmSat 3 payload on 1 December 1994 (Flight International, 14-20 December, 1994).
The inquiry found that the failure was caused by inadequate thrust on the Ariane third stage because of low turbo-pump gas-generator pressure, caused by an "insufficient supply of oxygen gas". The report says that this probably resulted from an inhibition of the oxygen flow; possibly caused by a leak in the oxygen-feeding circuit.
Corrective action will be taken to reduce the risks of flow blockage and leaks and, following qualification, a filter will be added at the input of the liquid-oxygen injection unit.
Source: Flight International
