Next Ariane 5 Mission is Cleared for Launch

(May 28, 2008) -- This Friday's heavy-lift Ariane 5 flight with two satellite payloads satellites has been cleared for liftoff following the launch readiness review conducted today at Europe's Spaceport.

The review - which is performed before every Ariane mission - validated the readiness of Ariane 5, its Skynet 5C and Turksat 3A payloads, the launch infrastructure at Europe's Spaceport and the downrange tracking stations.

It clears the way for tomorrow's transfer of Ariane 5 from its Final Assembly Building to the Spaceport's ELA-3 launch zone. Liftoff is scheduled during an evening launch window on May 30 that opens at 6:52 p.m. and continues to 7:35 p.m.

Skynet 5C is installed in the upper position of Ariane 5's payload "stack," and will be released first during the 32-minute flight. This secure military telecommunications satellite will deliver resilient, survivable and secure communications to military and government users. It was built by EADS Astrium, and will be utilized by the U.K.-based operator, Paradigm. Skynet 5C carries hardened Ultra High and Super High Frequency (UHF/SHF) relay payloads that use multiple, steerable spot beams.

The Ariane 5's lower passenger is Turksat 3A. Built by Thales Alenia Space, it will be operated by Ankara-based Turksat for telecommunication services and direct TV broadcasting over Turkey, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. This 3,110 kg. satellite is based on Thales Alenia Space's Spacebus 4000B2 spacecraft design, and carries 24 Ku-band transponders.