Europe's Envisat environmental satellite is undergoing final tests at the European Space Agency's technical centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, in preparation for shipment to the launch site at Kourou, French Guiana, in April. Envisat, which will be Europe's largest and most complex Earth observation satellite, will be launched into low-Earth Polar orbit on an Arianespace Ariane 5 in late July. Ariane 5 is the only launch vehicle capable of carrying the 8t, 10m (33ft)-high satellite. Envisat, which was built by an Astrium-led team, will study global warming and climatic changes.
Source: Flight International
