TIM FURNISS / LONDON
After three more 44L missions, Arianespace will rely solely on Ariane 5 booster
Arianespace launched the French space agency's Spot 5 commercial remote sensing satellite into sun-synchronous orbit aboard an Ariane 42P booster, flying mission V151, from Kourou on 3 May.
Spot 5 is France's 40th operational satellite to go into orbit, since 1965, when the country became the third nation in space, launching Asterix aboard a Diamant booster from Algeria.
The French amateur radio satellite Idefix was also aboard V151, the sixth Ariane flight of the year.
V151 was the final flight of the Ariane 42P booster, which features two solid propellant boosters.
Only four Ariane 4s now remain, all of which will fly 44L missions, with four liquid propellant strap-on boosters.
The next Arianespace mission, V152, is scheduled to carry Intelsat 905 aboard an Ariane 44L on 5 June.
After two further 44L missions, Arianespace's missions will be exclusively conducted by Ariane 5 booster variants.
The first uprated variant of the Ariane 5, with an ESC-A cryogenic upper stage and Vulcain II first stage engine, will be introduced this year, increasing the vehicle's geostationary transfer orbit capability to 9,500kg (20,900lb).
A Boeing Delta II booster launched Aqua, NASA's second Earth Observing System programme satellite, into sun-synchronous orbit from Vandenberg AFB, California, on 4 May (Flight International, 30 April-6 May). Meanwhile, the first and second stages of the last Titan IV booster to be launched from Cape Canaveral has arrived at the Florida The Titan IVB model will be launched next year, carrying a DSP early warning satellite. The final Titan IV in the programme is scheduled to be launched from Vandenberg AFB in 2005.The International Launch Services flight of the second Atlas IIIB booster from Cape Canaveral, carrying the Boeing 601HP model Asiasat 4 communications satellite scheduled for later this month has been delayed until at least September as a result of a newly introduced Boeing Satellite Systems quality control programme. The move comes after Boeing 702 satellite problems.
Source: Flight International
