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montmein69
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Credit : Arianespace<br />Following the transfer of Ariane 5 to the launch pad on 2 May, liftoff of flight V176 / L536 is scheduled today Thursday, 3 May with a launch window from 19:29 to 20:13 Kourou time (00:29 to 01:13 CEST). It will take off from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana with its dual passenger payload: the ASTRA 1L and Galaxy 17 telecommunications satellites. The planned orbit is a Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO).<br /><br />The 4505-kg ASTRA 1L satellite, built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Satellite Systems for SES ASTRA, will be deployed 27 minutes into the flight and the 4100-kg Galaxy 17 spacecraft, manufactured by Thales Alenia Space and being launched for INTELSAT, will be released approximately six minutes later. Both spacecraft will operate for a 15-year period, providing television broadcast services for customers in Europe.<br /><br />Tonight's launch will take place in the presence Antonio Fabrizi, Director of Launchers (D/LAU) and Michael Griffin, Administrator of NASA. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>