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Jungle Launch Thursday

Rocco Fanucci – Thu, 2008 – 06 – 12 13:54

Watch it live, from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Launch window:

GMT: From 9:54 p.m. to 10:43 p.m. on June 12, 2008
Local time in Kourou: From 6:54 p.m. to 7:43 p.m. on June 12, 2008
New York: From 5:54 p.m. to 6:43 p.m. on June 12, 2008
Paris: From 11:54 p.m. to 00:43 a.m. on June 12/13, 2008

The update, via Arianespace:

Arianespace’s third mission of 2008 is ready for liftoff tomorrow evening following the roll-out of Ariane 5 to the Spaceport’s ELA-3 launch zone this morning.

Emerging from the Final Assembly Building at 11:00 a.m., the heavy-lift Ariane 5 ECA’s transfer was completed in 1 hr. 15 min.  It rode atop one of two mobile launch tables developed for the workhorse vehicle, and moved along a 2.8-km. section of the dual-rail track that links the Spaceport's major launch infrastructure elements.

This flight will be another of Ariane 5’s trademark dual-satellite missions, carrying the Skynet 5C and Turksat 3A spacecraft.  Its upper passenger is Skynet 5C, which was installed atop the SYLDA 5 dispenser system, and then encapsulated in Ariane 5’s ogive-shaped payload fairing. 

The mission’s payload “stack” places Turksat 3A in the lower passenger position, with this satellite being released in the final phase of Ariane 5’s 32-minute fight. 

 

 

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Comments

Ariane V138: Belle Lancement

 

Well done, Arianespace. The news from the ESA says it best:

 Lift-off of flight V183 took place at 00:05 CEST/Paris on 13 June (22:05 UTC/GMT; 19:05 UTC-3/Kourou [12 June]). The satellites were accurately injected into the correct transfer orbits about 30 minutes later.
 
The payload comprised Skynet 5C - which will deliver secure communication links for UK government and military users - and Turksat 3A - which will provide telecommunication services and direct TV broadcasting for Turkey, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. The payload mass was 8541 kg; the satellite masses totalled 7748 kg, with payload adapters and dispensers making up the additional 797 kg.
 
This third launch of the year keeps Arianespace and Europe's Spaceport on target for the seven missions planned for 2008.  
 
    
Ariane 5 V183 Flight timeline
 
The Ariane 5's cryogenic, liquid fuelled main engine was ignited first. Seven seconds later, the solid fuel rocket boosters were also fired, and a fraction of a second after that, the launch vehicle lifted off.
 
The solid boosters were jettisoned 2 min: 22 sec after main engine ignition, and the fairing protecting the payload during the climb through the Earth's atmosphere was discarded at 3 min: 10 sec. The launcher's main engine was shut down at 8 min: 48 sec; six seconds later the main cryogenic stage separated from the upper stage and its payload.
 
Four seconds after main stage separation, the engine of the launcher's cryogenic upper stage was ignited to continue the journey. The upper stage engine was shut down at 24 min: 34 sec into the flight, at which point the launch vehicle was travelling at 9137 metres per second (nearly 33 000 km/h) at an altitude of 649 kilometres and the conditions for geostationary transfer orbit injection had been achieved.
 
At 27 min: 03 sec after main engine ignition, Skynet 5C separated from the launcher's upper stage, followed by Turksat 3A at 31 min: 31 sec.

 

Once it got through the low clouds, the camera was able to follow it through a clear sky and document booster separation:

 

Rocco Fanucci – Fri, 2008 – 06 – 13 06:08
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