Successful Ariane 5 launch May 27th

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teije

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I'm surprised no one posted this yet.<br />From the Arianespace website<br /><br /><font color="yellow"> Ariane 5 ECA enters the record books with an outstanding performance <br /> <br />Arianespace's heavy-lift Ariane 5 ECA launcher logged another flawless mission today, delivering a record-setting payload of two telecommunications satellites to geostationary transfer orbit. <br /> <br /> Lifting off at the start of a 45-min. launch window at 6:09 p.m. local time, the vehicle climbed through mostly cloudy skies over Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana and completed its mission 32 minutes later. <br /><br />The combined weight of Ariane 5's Thaicom 5 and Satmex 6 spacecraft payloads was more than 8,200 kg., marking a new record for satellite mass delivered into orbit. <br /><br />With this success, Arianespace has launched a total of more than 230 satellites since the company pioneered the commercial launch services industry with its first Ariane mission in 1984. <br /><br /><br />A second dual-satellite flight for two long-time customers<br /><br />Arianespace CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall noted that the customers for today's mission – Mexico's Satelites Mexicanos, SA de CV., and the Shin Satellite Public Company Limited of Thailand – shared another dual satellite mission 12 years ago on an Ariane 4 launcher. <br /><br />"They already were fellow travelers in 1994 with Solidaridad 2 and Thaicom 2, when the combined weight of these two satellites was 3.8 metric tons," Le Gall said in a post-launch speech at the Spaceport's Jupiter control center. "Today's mission shows the exceptional performance that we now have with the heavy-lift Ariane 5 ECA." <br /><br />Le Gall said Arianespace will continue to be a record-setter, both commercially and technically. The company's commercial position is strong, with 39 satellites remaining in its backlog to be launched – of which seven were signed so far this y</font>
 
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montmein69

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European technology is not far from the top ... notably for GTO commercial launches.<br /><br />Well done ... <<old />> Europe.<br /><br />Ariane 5 ECA (10 metric tons) is now efficient and safe.<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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edkyle98

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>>The combined weight of Ariane 5's Thaicom 5 and Satmex 6 spacecraft payloads was more than 8,200 kg., marking a new record for satellite mass delivered into orbit. <<<br /><br />Congrats to Arianespace for this success, but I wish that Arianespace would tighten up its press release review process. The above statement, that 8.2 tonnes was "a new record for satellite mass delivered into orbit" is simply incorrect. The mission did set a record for a launch of commercial satellite mass (or alternatively, combined dual payload mass) to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO), as near as I can tell, but it clearly did not set a record for mass "into orbit" or, most likely, for mass delivered into a GTO. Titan IVB could launch more mass to GTO than Ariane 5 ECA, for example.<br /><br /> - Ed Kyle
 
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JonClarke

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The record was for a dual satellite payload.<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>
 
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henryhallam

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A lot of these records seem to be pretty arbitrary :p
 
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scottb50

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Or technical. Two payloads while standing on one foot comes to mind. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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JonClarke

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Press officers, like sports commentators, have to find something to say. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>
 
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scottb50

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OK, move along, nothing happening here. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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montmein69

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Maybe I'm wrong but at the moment the Delta IV Heavy is not really operationnal with its full capacity.<br /><br /><br /> /> Heavy Demo was the first launch of the Heavy variant <br /> /> on 21 December 2004 after significant delays due to bad<br /> /> weather. Due to cavitation in the propellant lines, <br /> /> sensors registered depletion of propellant. The booster,<br /> /> and later core engines shut down prematurely, even<br /> /> though sufficient propellant remained to continue the<br /> /> burn as scheduled. The second stage attempted to <br /> /> compensate for the under-burn, until it ran out of <br /> /> propellant. This flight was a test launch carrying a <br /> /> payload consisting of:<br /><br /><br /> /> * DemoSat — 6020 kg; an alumunum cylinder filled <br /> /> with 60 brass rods — planned to be carried to GEO, but<br /> /> due to lower than expected performance from the first<br /> /> stage, this payload fell short of its intended orbit.<br /> /> * NanoSat-2, carried to low Earth orbit (LEO) — a set<br /> /> of two very small satellites of 24 and 21 kg, nicknamed <br /> /> Sparky and Ralphie — planned to orbit for one day. <br /> /> Given the under-burn, the two most likely did not <br /> /> reached stable orbit.<br /><br />I don't know if there was a new attempt to launch around 8000 kg (or more) in GTO with this launcher ? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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montmein69

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If the core is ready to work ... the big one should do its job.<br /><br />Do we know if an attempt using the Delta Heavy is scheduled before the end of the year ? And if it is a commercial GTO launch ? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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nacnud

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The Delta IV isn't available comercialy, Boeing uses SeaLaunch for that.
 
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Swampcat

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<font color="yellow">"Do we know if an attempt using the Delta Heavy is scheduled before the end of the year ? And if it is a commercial GTO launch ?"</font><br /><br />From Spaceflight Now Worldwide Launch Schedule:<br /><br />Jan. 31, 2007:<br /><br />"The second Boeing Delta 4-Heavy rocket will launch the 23rd and final Defense Support Program missile-warning satellite. The largest of the Delta 4 family, the Heavy version features three Common Booster Cores mounted together to form a triple-body rocket. The vehicle will deliver DSP 23 directly into geostationary orbit. Delayed from Oct. 28, 2005 and Jan. 31, 2006." <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="3" color="#ff9900"><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>------------------------------------------------------------------- </em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government."</em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong>Thomas Jefferson</strong></font></p></font> </div>
 
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vulture2

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Boeing would be only to happy to sell commercial launches on the Delta IV. There are no current commercial launches scheduled for the Delta IV Heavy largely because there are not many commercial payloads heavy enough to require it. Sea Launch has underbid the lighter Delta IV Medium, and its success has also discouraged Boeing from trying to market the Delta IV Heavy for dual launches of lighter satelites as is done with Ariane V.
 
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edkyle98

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Boeing withdrew Delta IV from the commercial launch market in 2003, shortly after it took a nearly $1 billion write-off on losses for the program. The company lost megabucks on Delta IV. It would lose more money on any commerical launch contract it was unfortunate enough to win. The rocket was not cost-competitive on the commercial launch market. It still isn't. As long as Delta IV EELV is kept dependant on Pentagon business, it never will be.<br /><br /> - Ed Kyle
 
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