Dec. 17 Ariane 5 - Helios 2B

[Zipi]

Launch time: 16:26 GMT (11:26 a.m. EST)
Launch site: ELA-3, Kourou, French Guiana

Arianespace Flight 193 will use an Ariane 5 rocket with a storable propellant upper stage to launched the French Helios 2B military optical and infrared reconnaissance satellite into polar orbit.

Ariane Space News article: http://www.arianespace.com/news-mission ... 09/657.asp
Launch Kit: http://www.arianespace.com/images/launc ... _2B_GB.pdf

Live stream will start 20min before the launch and can be followed here: http://www.videocorner.tv/

 

[Zipi]

Re: Dec. 9 Ariane 5 - Helios 2B

Arianespace's news article:

The year-ending mission with Ariane 5 and the Helios 2B military observation platform is given its “go” for launch
December 7, 2009

Arianespace’s seventh and final Ariane 5 launch of 2009 has been given the green light today, clearing this mission for a mid-day liftoff on December 9 with the French Helios 2B military observation satellite.

The flight’s go-ahead was granted after today’s launch readiness review, which is held before every Ariane mission to validate the Ariane 5’s status, along with its payload, the launch infrastructure at Europe’s Spaceport, and the network of ground tracking stations.

This clears the way for tomorrow morning’s rollout of the Ariane 5 GS from its Final Assembly Building to the ELA-3 launch zone at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

More from: http://www.arianespace.com/news-mission ... 09/658.asp

 

[Zipi]

Re: Dec. 9 Ariane 5 - Helios 2B

Ready for liftoff: Ariane 5 is in the launch zone with its Helios 2B military satellite payload
December 8, 2009

Arianespace has rolled out its seventh Ariane 5 for launch in 2009, preparing the final mission of this year for a daytime liftoff tomorrow at the Spaceport in French Guiana.

The workhorse vehicle was transferred to the ELA-3 launch zone this morning under sunny skies, emerging at 9:45 a.m. local time from the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building – where the Ariane 5 had been fitted with its Helios 2B satellite payload.

This year-ending flight will involve a northward trajectory, with the French-built spacecraft being injected into a Sun-synchronous polar orbit at the conclusion of a 59 min., 23 sec. mission.

The launcher version to be used on this mission is an Ariane 5 GS. It is powered during initial phases of flight by the Vulcain main engine and two solid rocket boosters, followed by the storable propellant upper stage’s burn for some 16 minutes to achieve orbital injection altitude.

Quoted from: http://www.arianespace.com/news-mission ... 09/659.asp

 

[Zipi]

Re: Dec. 9 Ariane 5 - Helios 2B

Live will start in 3h 20min...

Web browser link: http://www.videocorner.tv/
Direct stream link: http://hwcdn.net/q9w9t4k6/wms/2008--2.wmv.asx
You may have to copy & paste above link to your media player to make it work.

Actually I'm not 100% sure about that direct stream link, but it is probably working and it should have better image quality.

 

[Zipi]

Re: Dec. 9 Ariane 5 - Helios 2B

Flight 193: Launch delayed
Kourou, December 9, 2009

During final count-down operations for Flight 193 slated for today, an anomaly occurred in a launcher subsystem.

As a result, Arianespace has decided to replace this part, and thus to postpone the launch for a few days.

The launch vehicle and its HELIOS 2B satellite payload have been placed in stand-by mode and maintained in fully safe conditions.

http://www.arianespace.com/news-press-r ... tponed.asp

 

[Zipi]

Re: Dec. 9 Ariane 5 - Helios 2B

Launch time: 16:26 GMT (11:26 a.m. EST)
Launch site: ELA-3, Kourou, French Guiana

Arianespace's year-end mission with Helios 2B is set for December 17
December 14, 2009

Ariane 5’s final mission for 2009 – the seventh for Arianespace’s workhorse launcher this year – is set for December 17 from the Spaceport in French Guiana.
...

More from: http://www.arianespace.com/launch-servi ... erview.asp

 

[Zipi]

Ariane 5 returns to the launch zone with its Helios 2B satellite payload
December 16, 2009

Arianespace’s seventh and final Ariane 5 for 2009 is back on the launch pad today, starting the final countdown to a mid-day liftoff tomorrow.

The vehicle was transferred from its Final Assembly Building to the ELA-3 launch zone this morning following corrective actions that were taken on the liquid helium subsystem in Ariane 5’s cryogenic main stage. This work was required after an anomaly occurred during the original final countdown on December 9.
...

More from: http://www.arianespace.com/news-mission ... 09/662.asp

 

[Zipi]

SCRUB:

A countdown “hold” results in the scrub of today’s Ariane 5 mission
December 17, 2009

Arianespace’s launch of the French Helios 2B military observation satellite was postponed today after the countdown was halted during the final minutes.

As this mission has an exact moment of liftoff due to its trajectory to place Helios 2B into Sun-synchronous polar orbit, the countdown’s interruption requires a rescheduling of the mission.

Arianespace Chairman & CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall said additional information will be provided shortly.

http://www.arianespace.com/news-mission-update/2009/663.asp

 

[Zipi]

Launch were successfull at Dec. 18 and here is the video:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmvKh-uH_rE[/youtube]

 

[EarthlingX]

Watching this videos, i must say, Russian are the best. No crappy announcer, real sounds, attention to details, nice quality.

Just a hint to video directors: roaring of a rocket is more fun to listen than counting in any language or direction and most people can at least read numbers. (as if they would listen)

Thanks Zipi anyway, i can at least complain