Paris (AFP)
The firing of an Ariane 5 rocket charged to put into orbit from Kourou two telecommunications satellites, reported Friday because of an "anomaly", was reprogrammed for Monday, announced Arianespace.
"The investigations carried out on the energy supply" of the equipment of the "shooting step Ariane 5 as well as the associated checks allow the resumption of the operations of final chronology of the mission Arianespace VA250", indicates the French company of launches service in a communicated.
The takeoff, to put into orbit two telecommunications satellites, TIBA-1 on behalf of the Egyptian government, and GX5 for the British operator Inmarsat, is scheduled in a launch window between 18H08 and 19H53, Kourou time (21H08 to 22H53 GMT). The mission should last about 34 minutes.
This shot will be the 250th Ariane flight, which flew for the first time forty years ago, on December 24, 1979. It will also be the fourth mission of the European heavy launcher Ariane 5 of the year 2019 from the Center. Guiana Space Center (CSG).
TIBA-1, which will be placed in geostationary orbit (36,000 km from Earth), will be the fourth satellite to be launched by Arianespace on behalf of Egypt. This civil and government telecommunications satellite, weighing 5,600 kg at launch, is developed by Thales Alenia Space and Airbus Defense and Space. Its lifespan is estimated at more than 15 years.
GX5 (4.007 kg) is a mobile telecommunications satellite built by Thales Alenia Space for Inmarsat. It "will provide more capacity than the entire GX fleet already in orbit and will allow the rapid increase in the demand for services of its customers in Europe and the Middle East, especially for Wifi connections on commercial flights and for commercial maritime services ", explains CNES, the French space agency. Estimated life: over 16 years.
© 2019 AFP