Posted: March 5, 2008NOTE: GMT is +5 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.March 9The LaunchJules Verne launches atop the Ariane 5 rocket at 0403 GMT, separating from the launcher about an hour later. Eight hours after deployment, Jules Verne fires its engines to transfer to its initial phasing orbit to begin its pursuit of the international space station.March 9-18Orbit RaisingThrough a series of orbit-changing burns, Jules Verne raises its orbit from an altitude of 162 miles to arrive at a parking spot 1,200 miles in front of the station to wait out the shuttle Endeavour's mission.March 12Collision Avoidance Test0800 GMT - During the phasing period, Jules Verne conducts a collision avoidance maneuver demonstration to test its ability to leave the space station's vicinity if something goes wrong during rendezvous.March 27Orbit Maneuvering0520 GMT - Jules Verne begins to move from its parking orbit to set up for the first of two demonstration days.March 29Begin Demo Day 11400 GMT - Beginning at an "interface point" 24 miles behind and three miles below the space station, Jules Verne begins its first rendezvous attempt using GPS navigation on demo day one.March 29First Demo Complete1710 GMT - Controllers at the Toulouse control center command an escape maneuver after Jules Verne reaches a point 2.2 miles behind the station.March 30Go/No-goThe ISS mission management team confers to review the results from demo day one before giving a "go" for demo daytwo.March 31Begin Demo Day 21210 GMT - Beginning at an "interface point" 24 miles behind and three miles below the space station, Jules Verne begins its second demo day to test both GPS and optical navigation and a series of commands from both the ground and the station's crew.March 31Second Demo Complete1620 GMT - After reaching a point 40 feet from the aft port of the Zvezda service module, then backing away to a distance of 60 feet, the station's crew sends an escape command for Jules Verne to leave the vicinity of the complex, ending demo day two.April 2Go/No-goThe ISS mission management team confers to review the results from demo day two before giving a "go" for docking.April 3Final Approach1010 GMT - Jules Verne begins its push toward the station from a distance of 24 miles away.April 3Docking1420 GMT - Jules Verne is captured at the aft docking port of Zvezda.Data Source: ESASTS-134 PatchFree shipping to U.S. addresses!The final planned flight of space shuttle Endeavour is symbolized in the official embroidered crew patch for STS-134. Available in our store!Final Shuttle Mission PatchFree shipping to U.S. addresses!The crew emblem for the final space shuttle mission is now available in our store. Get this piece of history!Apollo CollageThis beautiful one piece set features the Apollo program emblem surrounded by the individual mission logos.STS-133 PatchFree shipping to U.S. addresses!The final planned flight of space shuttle Discovery is symbolized in the official embroidered crew patch for STS-133. Available in our store!Anniversary Shuttle PatchFree shipping to U.S. addresses!This embroidered patch commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Program. The design features the space shuttle Columbia's historic maiden flight of April 12, 1981.Mercury anniversaryFree shipping to U.S. addresses!Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Alan Shephard's historic Mercury mission with this collectors' item, the official commemorative embroidered patch. | | | | 2014 Spaceflight Now Inc.French military satellite primed for morning launch SPACEFLIGHT NOWPosted: December 9, 2009 An Ariane 5 rocket is being readied to haul a French reconnaissance satellite to orbit Wednesday in a rare morning launch from the Guiana Space Center in South America. Artist's concept of the Helios 2B spacecraft. Credit: CNES The Helios 2B satellite will join an orbiting fleet of military platforms with optical and infrared imagers to map battlefields, monitor terrorist threats and enforce disarmament and non-proliferation treaties."Images shouted by the satellites provide necessary intelligence data to the French senior authorities and also to the forces deployed on the ground," the French defense ministry's Helios press kit said.Officials said French military action in Kosovo, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Chad and Darfur demonstrated the Helios system's value.The 9,259-pound Helios 2B spacecraft will join two other Helios satellites already in space. Helios 1A was launched in 1995 and Helios 2A arrived in orbit in 2004.Six European countries, including France, will be users of Helios 2B data.The satellite is due for liftoff at 1626 GMT (11:26 a.m. EST) Wednesday from the ELA-3 launch pad at the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The 151-foot-tall rocket must blast off in an instantaneous launch window, or else wait until another day.The Ariane 5 launcher rolled from its final assembly building to the launch zone Tuesday morning. Workers made electrical, fluid and communications connections between the rocket and ground systems later on Tuesday.The rocket will be flying in the Ariane 5 GS configuration with Vulcain 1 engine, upgraded solid rocket boosters and an upper stage fueled by storable hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide propellants.The launch team will begin assembling early Wednesday morning, beginning the launch countdown at 0456 GMT (11:56 p.m. EST). Engineers will check electrical systems at 0856 GMT (3:56 a.m. EST) and begin fueling the first stage with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen at 1136 GMT (6:36 a.m. EST). The Ariane 5 rolls to the launch pad Tuesday morning. Credit: Arianespace The first stage's Vulcain main engine will be chilled down at 1306 GMT (8:06 a.m. EST). The launch team will verify good communications with the rocket through telemetry, tracking and command systems at 1516 GMT (10:16 a.m. EST).Seven minutes before launch, computers will take control of the countdown in a synchronized sequence of events to pressurize propellant tanks, switch to on-board power and take the rocket's guidance system to flight mode.The Vulcain engine will ignite as the countdown clock reaches zero, followed by a health check and ignition of the Ariane 5's solid rocket boosters seven seconds later to send the nearly 1.7 million-pound launcher skyward.Rolling onto a northerly trajectory from the launch site, the Ariane 5 will burst through the speed of sound in less than a minute and empty its solid-fueled boosters 2 minutes, 20 seconds after liftoff.The conical payload shroud will jettison three minutes into the flight after the rocket passes through the atmosphere. The Vulcain engine will fire until 9 minutes, 36 seconds after launch, when it will shut down and the first stage will separate nearly 250 miles over the Atlantic Ocean.The storable propellant upper stage's Aestus engine will next light for a lengthy burn lasting more than 16 minutes.At the time of second stage shutdown, Helios 2B and its upper stage should be in a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of about 423 miles over the Arctic Ocean.The rocket and payload will coast halfway around the world before Helios 2B is deployed in communications range of a ground station in Perth, Australia. Spacecraft separation is targeted for 59 minutes, 23 seconds after liftoff.Wednesday's mission will be the seventh flight of an Ariane 5 rocket this year on commercial, scientific and military launches. It will also be the 193rd launch of an Ariane rocket since the family's debut in 1979. The Ariane 5 launcher will have conducted 49 of those missions after Wednesday's flight.Final Shuttle Mission PatchFree shipping to U.S. addresses!The crew emblem for the final space shuttle mission is now available in our store. Get this piece of history!STS-134 PatchFree shipping to U.S. addresses!The final planned flight of space shuttle Endeavour is symbolized in the official embroidered crew patch for STS-134. Available in our store!Ares 1-X PatchThe official embroidered patch for the Ares 1-X rocket test flight, is available for purchase.Apollo CollageThis beautiful one piece set features the Apollo program emblem surrounded by the individual mission logos.Project OrionThe Orion crew exploration vehicle is NASA's first new human spacecraft developed since the space shuttle a quarter-century earlier. The capsule is one of the key elements of returning astronauts to the Moon.Fallen Heroes Patch CollectionThe official patches from Apollo 1, the shuttle Challenger and Columbia crews are available in the store. | | | | 2014 Spaceflight Now Inc.Heavy-lifting Ariane 5 delivers for three customers SPACEFLIGHT NOWPosted: August 29, 2013 An Ariane 5 rocket fired its clean-burning hydrogen-fueled main engine, passed an automated check of dozens of health parameters, and lit two tube-shaped solid rocket boosters to blast away from its launch pad in the Amazon jungle Thursday with two communications satellites to serve the Middle East, North Africa and India. Liftoff from French Guiana occurred at 4:30 p.m. local time. Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace - Optique Video du CSG - G BarbasteFilled with cryogenic propellant, the 1.7-million-pound launcher lifted off at 2030 GMT (4:30 p.m. EDT) from the ELA-3 launch pad at the Guiana Space Center, a sprawling European-run facility on the northern coast of South America near the town of Kourou, French Guiana.Propelled into the upper atmosphere by 2.6 million pounds of thrust, the Ariane 5 shed its two solid rocket boosters in less than two-and-a-half minutes. The rocket crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 20 minutes, then deployed nearly 10 tons of payload over Africa.The launcher released its passengers in a geostationary transfer orbit close to the preflight target. The Ariane 5 was aiming for an orbit with a low point of 154 miles, a high point of 22,325 miles and an inclination of 3.5 degrees.The Ariane 5 first deployed the 13,911-pound Eutelsat 25B satellite, the product of a three-year partnership between Paris-based Eutelsat and Es'hailSat, a startup operator owned by the Qatari government. Known as Es'hail 1 by Qatar, the spacecraft will broadcast television and other services over a swath of the Middle East and North Africa.According to Eutelsat, the satellite extended its solar panels as planned within four hours of separation from the Ariane 5 launcher.Several minutes after its first deployment, the Ariane 5 jettisoned a barrel-shaped dual-payload adapter and separated India's 5,842-pound GSAT 7 spacecraft, the country's first military communications satellite.GSAT 7 unfurled its solar panels about 20 seconds after it was released from the Ariane 5. Officials said GSAT 7 would be declared operational in about two weeks.Each satellite will use on-board engines to raise their orbits to an altitude of 22,300 miles and position themselves over the equator.The massive Ariane 5 rocket achieved its 57th straight success since 2003, putting the European-built, French-operated Ariane 5 in exclusive company among the world's most reliable satellite launchers."After 57 successes in a row of the heavy-lift Ariane 5, it is once again with great pleasure and pride that Arianespace announces the successful delivery of our customers' satellites," said Stephane Israel, chairman and CEO of Arianespace, the French company responsible for Ariane 5 marketing and launch operations. "Tonight, Eutelsat 2B/Es'hail 1 and GSAT 7 are now traveling in their desired geostationary transfer orbits for lives that I hope will be long and prosperous."Eutelsat 25B/Es'hail 1, built by Space Systems/Loral in Palo Alto, Calif., is beginning a 15-year mission with Ku-band and Ka-band transponders. Designed to serve commercial customers and offer secure communications to the government of Qatar, the spacecraft will be positioned at 25.5 degrees east longitude for a 15-year mission.It is Qatar's first national satellite, giving Qatar independent access to television, voice, Internet and corporate communications services, while extending Eutelsat's product offerings in the region. Eutelsat 25B/Es'hail 1 in the compact antenna test range at Space Systems/Loral's facility in California. Credit: Space Systems/Loral"Es'hail 1 is the first step in our effort to enhance availability and quality communications services in the region," said Hessa Al-Jabar, Qatar's minister of information and communication technology, in post-launch remarks from Kourou. "This means more TV channel choices and cable options. This also means a commitment to meeting the sophisticated needs required for the FIFA World Cup in 2022."The 2022 World Cup will be hosted by Qatar.Es'hailSat eventually plans to finance and deploy six or more satellites. The next satellite, Es'hail 2, will be fully controlled in Qatar, Al-Jabar said, and Es'hailSat is seeking another agreement with Eutelsat to deploy a third satellite at 7 degrees west, affording coverage of Europe."Tonight's launch is a milestone marking a three-year journey since Eutelsat sealed a strategic alliance with Es'hailSat, our Qatari partner, to pursue a ground-breaking joint satellite program," said Michel de Rosen, CEO of Eutelsat, in a written statement. "We are now entering a new phase with the beginning of shared operations of a sophisticated and flexible communications satellite designed to deliver over 15 years of service to our two companies."GSAT 7's seven-year mission will relay communications between Indian naval vessels and military commanders using UHF, S-band, C-band and Ku-band transponders. Positioned over the equator at 74 degrees longitude, GSAT 7 will cover the Indian subcontinent and neighboring waters.The satellite, also known as INSAT 4F, was the 17th Indian satellite launched by Arianespace.The next Ariane 5 launch is scheduled for Dec. 13 with the ASTRA 5B and Amazonas 4A communications satellites, but the Guiana Space Center will be busy this fall with back-to-back launches of Russian Soyuz rockets - currently set for Sept. 30 and Nov. 20.The next Soyuz mission will launch four communications satellites for O3b Networks to enhance broadband connectivity in tropical regions around the world. The Nov. 20 Soyuz flight will deploy the European Space Agency's Gaia mission, a $1 billion project to precisely chart the positions and movements of a billion stars across the Milky Way galaxy.Final Shuttle Mission PatchFree shipping to U.S. addresses!The crew emblem for the final space shuttle mission is now available in our store. Get this piece of history!STS-134 PatchFree shipping to U.S. addresses!The final planned flight of space shuttle Endeavour is symbolized in the official embroidered crew patch for STS-134. Available in our store!Ares 1-X PatchThe official embroidered patch for the Ares 1-X rocket test flight, is available for purchase.Apollo CollageThis beautiful one piece set features the Apollo program emblem surrounded by the individual mission logos.Project OrionThe Orion crew exploration vehicle is NASA's first new human spacecraft developed since the space shuttle a quarter-century earlier. The capsule is one of the key elements of returning astronauts to the Moon.Fallen Heroes Patch CollectionThe official patches from Apollo 1, the shuttle Challenger and Columbia crews are available in the store. | | | | 2014 Spaceflight Now Inc.Intelsat, Avanti get a lift from Ariane 5 launcher SPACEFLIGHT NOWPosted: November 26, 2010 An Ariane 5 rocket blasted off from French Guiana and soared into a deep blue sky Friday, hauling into space a video broadcasting satellite for Intelsat and a high-tech British-owned spacecraft to meet the ever-changing demands of the vibrant European broadband market. The Ariane 5 rocket launches into a clear afternoon sky in French Guiana. Credit: ArianespaceThe rocket took off from the Guiana Space Center at 1839 GMT (1:39 p.m. EST), disappearing into a cloudless sky a few minutes later on the power of two massive solid-fueled boosters and an efficient hydrogen-burning Vulcain main engine.Nine minutes after liftoff, the Ariane 5's cryogenic upper stage began a nearly 16-minute burn to inject the Intelsat 17 and HYLAS 1 payloads into an elliptical orbit that will take the satellites more than 22,000 miles from Earth.According to Arianespace, the firm managing the rocket's operations, the mission reached an on-target orbit, completing the Ariane 5's fifth successful flight this year.Intelsat 17 separated from the rocket first, then on-board computers jettisoned a dual-payload adapter specially designed for the Ariane's two-at-a-time satellite launches. HYLAS 1 was released nearly 35 minutes after liftoff.Both satellites were intentionally left short of their planned operational points in space, and each craft will fire on-board engines to reach a circular 22,300-mile-high orbit over the equator in the coming weeks.Intelsat 17 is bound for a position in geosynchronous orbit over the Indian Ocean, a prime location to distribute video and other communications services to customers in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.The 12,214-pound spacecraft C-band and Ku-band transponders will operate for more than 15 years. It was built by Space Systems/Loral of Palo Alto, Calif.Intelsat says the satellite will provide a range of telecommunications services, joining the Intelsat 10 spacecraft at an adjacent location in geosynchronous orbit. The platform will replace Intelsat 702, an aging satellite launched in 1994.Jean-Luc Froeliger, Intelsat's senior director for space systems acquisition, said ground controllers already established contact with the newly-launched satellite. Artist's concept of Intelsat 17 in space. Credit: Space Systems/LoralFour main engine burns are planned to raise Intelsat 17's orbit to geosynchronous altitude, and the spacecraft will be handed over from Loral to Intelsat in January to replace older satellites and establish fresh capacity."It has a very diversified customer base that includes media customers, government services and corporate networks," Froeliger said in post-launch remarks from Kourou.HYLAS 1 is the product of a unique public-private partnership between the European Space Agency, the U.K. Space Agency, the Indian Space Research Organization and EADS Astrium.The partnership's beneficiary is Avanti Communications of the United Kingdom, an entrepreneurial firm with a mission to link rural European residents through broadband Internet services.HYLAS stands for Highly Adaptable Satellite, denoting the craft's ability to allocate on-board resources to meet spikes and lulls in demand."It's Europe's first broadband satellite and it will begin to bridge the digital divide, which is a source currently of inequality in our society," said David Williams, CEO of Avanti.The new capability, funded by ESA and engineered by Astrium, will give Avanti "the ability to independently adjust our uplink frequency, our downlink frequency, our bandwidth and our power," said J. Cooke, the HYLAS 1 satellite mission director from Avanti Communications.ESA initially provided $45 million to jump start the development of HYLAS 1's generic flexible payload. The funding came through ESA's Advanced Research in Telecommunications, or ARTES, program. The agency has two more public-private projects in the pipeline for launch in the next few years, including partnerships with Hispasat for a small communications satellite and Inmarsat for Europe's next-generation Alphasat platform."ESA is providing a brand new technology and Avanti is using that brand new technology to deliver services to Europe," said Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA's director general. Artist's concept of HYLAS 1 in space. Credit: AstriumThe institutional budget from ESA and the British government convinced private investors to contribute more than $500 million to Avanti, according to Williams."Space is an industry with great barriers to entry, so it's some surprise that Avanti managed to get here," Williams said.Avanti officials say HYLAS 1's Ka-band and Ku-band payload will serve between 150,000 and 300,000 users in Europe from a position at 33.5 degrees west longitude. The 5,666-pound satellite was built by Antrix, a subsidiary of the Indian space agency, and should last more than 15 years.HYLAS 1 was originally contracted to fly on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, but Avanti switched to Arianespace in 2009 to allay investors' concerns about launch risks. Arianespace assigned HYLAS 1 to launch on the first Soyuz rocket flight from French Guiana, but launch pad development delays forced another rocket change to the workhorse Ariane 5 to ensure liftoff by the end of 2010."Avanti has tonight grown up a little and joined the European space family, and that's a family which I'm very proud to be a part of," Williams said.Arianespace plans to end the year with a sixth Ariane 5 launch Dec. 21 to deliver to space the Hispasat 1E and Koreasat 6 satellites for Spanish and Korean operators.STS-134 PatchFree shipping to U.S. addresses!The final planned flight of space shuttle Endeavour is symbolized in the official embroidered crew patch for STS-134. Available in our store!Final Shuttle Mission PatchFree shipping to U.S. addresses!The crew emblem for the final space shuttle mission is now available in our store. Get this piece of history!Apollo CollageThis beautiful one piece set features the Apollo program emblem surrounded by the individual mission logos.STS-133 PatchFree shipping to U.S. addresses!The final planned flight of space shuttle Discovery is symbolized in the official embroidered crew patch for STS-133. Available in our store!Anniversary Shuttle PatchFree shipping to U.S. addresses!This embroidered patch commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Program. The design features the space shuttle Columbia's historic maiden flight of April 12, 1981.Mercury anniversaryFree shipping to U.S. addresses!Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Alan Shephard's historic Mercury mission with this collectors' item, the official commemorative embroidered patch. | | | | 2014 Spaceflight Now Inc.Jules Verne propulsion system glitch resolved BY STEPHEN CLARKSPACEFLIGHT NOWPosted: March 11, 2008Two days after an electronics box cut off a quarter of a European space station resupply ship's propulsion system, controllers successfully revived the suspect command chain and tested its ability to work properly during a series of engine firings Tuesday.Moments after arriving in orbit early Sunday, propulsion systemelectronics on Europe's Jules Verne cargo spacecraft detected troublewithin one of four command chains governing the ship's four main enginesand 28 smaller thrusters.The computers noticed an unacceptable pressure difference between JulesVerne's hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide propellants, according to theEuropean Space Agency.The problematic circuit, responsible for one of Jules Verne's main enginesand seven maneuvering jets, was automatically removed from the propulsionsystem and replaced by another chain.Jules Verne is the first of at least five European-built AutomatedTransfer Vehicles to transport supplies, water and fuel to theinternational space station.Engineers traced the problem to an issue within the chain's helium gassystem, which is used to pressurize the craft's propellants, according toESA officials.The team at the ATV mission control center reintegrated the downed chainin the propulsion system Monday."In a complex operation, commands to reintegrate an electronics box whichdrives that part of the propulsion system were up-linked to the spacecraftfrom within the ATV control center in Toulouse, France," ESA said in awritten statement. "After the entire propulsion system was disabled, allfour propulsion chains were progressively enabled, thereby restoring fullfailure tolerance."Jules Verne completed its first two major orbit-raising maneuvers usingall four chains Tuesday, kicking off a series of more than a dozen burnsto move the ship from its current 162-mile-high orbit to a point 1,200miles in front of the station by next week.The spacecraft will park there until March 27 to wait out the shuttleEndeavour's mission to the station, which began Tuesday morning with anighttime blastoff from Florida.Officials plan a critical burn on Friday, two days later than originallyplanned, to demonstrate the ship's ability to rapidly depart the station'svicinity in case of a serious malfunction during the docking sequence.The collision avoidance maneuver would push Jules Verne away from thestation at a relative velocity of about 11 miles per hour.The two-day pause in Jules Verne's mission to recover from the propulsioncommand system setback will have no impact on the ATV's planned arrivaldate at the space station, according to Alan Thirkettle, ESA space stationprogram manager.Thirkettle said the schedule has enough room to make up for the delaysearly in the mission because Jules Verne must wait for Endeavour to endits visit to the station on March 24.Two demonstration days are still planned for March 29 and March 31 to testJules Verne's myriad of rendezvous sensors before officials give a "go"for docking, currently scheduled for April 3.Additional coverage for subscribers:VIDEO:ARIANE 5 ROCKET BLASTS OFF WITH JULES VERNE VIDEO:ROLLOUT OF ARIANE 5 ROCKET TO LAUNCH PAD Final Shuttle Mission PatchFree shipping to U.S. addresses!The crew emblem for the final space shuttle mission is now available in our store. Get this piece of history!STS-134 PatchFree shipping to U.S. addresses!The final planned flight of space shuttle Endeavour is symbolized in the official embroidered crew patch for STS-134. Available in our store!Ares 1-X PatchThe official embroidered patch for the Ares 1-X rocket test flight, is available for purchase.Apollo CollageThis beautiful one piece set features the Apollo program emblem surrounded by the individual mission logos.Project OrionThe Orion crew exploration vehicle is NASA's first new human spacecraft developed since the space shuttle a quarter-century earlier. The capsule is one of the key elements of returning astronauts to the Moon.Fallen Heroes Patch CollectionThe official patches from Apollo 1, the shuttle Challenger and Columbia crews are available in the store. | | | | 2014 Spaceflight Now Inc.Follow the launch of the Ariane 5 rocket with the European Space Agency's Herschel and Planck spacecraft. Reload this page for updates.THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2009An Ariane 5 launcher rocketed through blue skies and into space Thursday with two European telescopes designed to give scientists unprecedented views of star birth and the relic light from the Big Bang.Read our .1408 GMT (10:08 a.m. EDT)Herschel and Planck are on their way to deep space after a successful launch from South America this morning.The Ariane 5 rocket blasted off at 1312 GMT (9:12 a.m. EDT; 10:12 a.m. local time) from Kourou, French Guiana. The launcher deployed both satellites less than a half-hour later, and controllers in Germany acquired signals from the payloads about 20 minutes ago.Check back later for a full launch report.1400 GMT (10:00 a.m. EDT)Today's launch has been called "perfect" by Jean-Yves Le Gall. Officials just wrapped up their post-launch speeches in Kourou.Controllers at ESOC in Germany continue to evaluate the health of Herschel and Planck after today's launch.1350 GMT (9:50 a.m. EDT)Acquisition of signal! Ground stations in Western Australia have made contact with Herschel and Planck, confirming they have survived this morning's launch.1347 GMT (9:47 a.m. EDT)Today's launch was the 30th consecutive success for the Ariane 5 rocket.1345 GMT (9:45 a.m. EDT)Jean-Yves Le Gall, Arianespace's chairman and CEO, says the Ariane 5 launch was a success and put the spacecraft on course for arrival at the L2 point.Officials expect to acquire the first signals from the spacecraft around 1349 GMT (9:49 a.m. EDT) from ground stations in Western Australia. This will confirm the spacecraft are in good shape following today's launch.1342 GMT (9:42 a.m. EDT)It appears everything has gone according to plan with this morning's launch. Handshakes, hugs and smiles all around the Jupiter Control Center in Kourou and ESOC in Germany.1340 GMT (9:40 a.m. EDT)Plus+28 minutes, 28 seconds. PLANCK SEPARATION! The Planck spacecraft is now free from the Ariane 5 rocket to begin a journey 1 million miles from Earth to take a picture of the infant universe.1339 GMT (9:39 a.m. EDT)Plus+27 minutes, 25 seconds. The Sylda 5 has been jettisoned. One more key milestone remains in this launch, the separation of Planck at Plus+28 minutes, 29 seconds.1338 GMT (9:38 a.m. EDT)Plus+25 minutes, 58 seconds. HERSCHEL SEPARATION! The Herschel infrared observatory has been released from the Ariane 5 rocket to begin a three-year mission studying the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies.Next up will be the jettison of the Ariane's Sylda 5 dual payload adapter to reveal Planck, which is directly attached to the rocket's upper stage.1337 GMT (9:37 a.m. EDT)Plus+25 minutes. The Herschel telescope will be deployed at Plus+25 minutes, 58 seconds.1336 GMT (9:36 a.m. EDT)Plus+24 minutes, 35 seconds. Second stage shutdown. The Ariane 5's upper stage has ended its burn, concluding the powered flight portion of this morning's launch.1336 GMT (9:36 a.m. EDT)Plus+24 minutes. Approaching shut down of the upper stage. Altitude is 768 km, velocity is 9.8 km/sec.1335 GMT (9:35 a.m. EDT)Plus+23 minutes. The rocket is now passing over a tracking station in Malindi, Kenya.1334 GMT (9:34 a.m. EDT)Plus+22 minutes. Cutoff of the upper stage's HM7B engine is scheduled for Plus+24 minutes, 29 seconds. The rocket should be in an orbit with an apogee of 741,682 miles, a perigee of 168 miles and an inclination of 6 degrees.1332 GMT (9:32 a.m. EDT)Plus+20 minutes. Altitude is 324 km, velocity is 9.1 km/sec.1330 GMT (9:30 a.m. EDT)Plus+18 minutes. The rocket should now be communicating through a tracking station in Libreville, Gabon.1329 GMT (9:29 a.m. EDT)Plus+17 minutes. The Ariane 5's upper stage is shooting for an injection velocity of 9.967 kilometers per second, or about 22,296 mph. Altitude is now 185 km, velocity is 8.5 km/sec.1328 GMT (9:28 a.m. EDT)Plus+16 minutes. Altitude is 167 km, velocity is 8.3 km/sec.1326 GMT (9:26 a.m. EDT)Plus+14 minutes. The rocket is now passing within range of a tracking station on Ascension Island in the South Atlantic Ocean.1325 GMT (9:25 a.m. EDT)Plus+13 minutes. The HM7B engine, previously used by Arianespace's workhorse Ariane 4 launcher, continues to guide the rocket toward orbit. The engine burns liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants.1323 GMT (9:23 a.m. EDT)Plus+11 minutes. Altitude is 182 km, velocity is 7.4 km/sec.1322 GMT (9:22 a.m. EDT)Plus+10 minutes. Altitude is 195 km, velocity is 7.2 km/sec.1321 GMT (9:21 a.m. EDT)Plus+9 minutes, 15 seconds. The first stage's Vulcain 2 main engine has cut off. The spent stage has separated for its fall back into the atmosphere to burn up over the Atlantic Ocean. And cryogenic upper stage's HM7B engine has ignited to begin a burn lasting 15 minutes, 24 seconds.1320 GMT (9:20 a.m. EDT)Plus+8 minutes. About one minute away from shutdown of the first stage's Vulcain 2 engine. Altitude is 221 km, velocity is 5.7 km/sec.1319 GMT (9:19 a.m. EDT)Plus+7 minutes. The rocket's signal should now be acquired by the Natal tracking station in Brazil.1318 GMT (9:18 a.m. EDT)Plus+6 minutes, 15 seconds . Altitude is 206 km, velocity is 3.8 km/sec. The rocket is flying through the portion of the launch in which its trajectory levels out in order to gain speed.1317 GMT (9:17 a.m. EDT)Plus+5 minutes, 15 seconds. Altitude is 184 km, velocity is 3.2 km/sec.1316 GMT (9:16 a.m. EDT)Plus+4 minutes, 10 seconds. The protective payload fairing enclosing the Herschel and Planck payloads has separated from the rocket.1315 GMT (9:15 a.m. EDT)Plus+3 minutes, 30 seconds. The Ariane 5's payload fairing will be released at Plus+4 minutes, 3 seconds. Flight designers delayed the jettison to give extra protection to the sensitive Herschel telescope.1315 GMT (9:15 a.m. EDT)Plus+3 minutes. Altitude is 105 km, velocity is 2.2 km/sec.1314 GMT (9:14 a.m. EDT)Plus+2 minutes, 30 seconds. Both solid rocket boosters have been jettisoned from the vehicle. The first stage's hydrogen-fueled Vulcain 2 engine continues to push the rocket toward space.1314 GMT (9:14 a.m. EDT)Plus+2 minutes. The two solid rocket boosters are nearing the end of their burn to propel the 166-foot-tall rocket through the lower atmosphere.1313 GMT (9:13 a.m. EDT)Plus+1 minute, 30 seconds. Altitude is 27 km, velocity is 1.0 km/sec.1313 GMT (9:13 a.m. EDT)Plus+60 seconds. The Ariane 5 rocket is roaring through mostly sunny skies above the launch site in Kourou, French Guiana. The rocket has gone transonic and nearing maximum aerodynamic pressure.1312 GMT (9:12 a.m. EDT)Plus+30 seconds. The Ariane 5 has completed its pitch and roll maneuvers to fly east from the Guiana Space Center along South America's northeast coast.1312 GMT (9:12 a.m. EDT)LIFTOFF! Liftoff of the Ariane 5 rocket with Herschel and Planck, two telescopes that will push the boundaries of astronomy to look deep into the cold, distant universe!1311 GMT (9:11 a.m. EDT)Minus-30 seconds.1311 GMT (9:11 a.m. EDT)Minus-1 minute. The Ariane 5 rocket is being switched to internal power and the launcher's second stage is now at flight pressure.A fast-paced series of events leading to launch will begin at Minus-37 seconds when the automated ignition sequence is started. The water suppression system at the launch pad will start at Minus-30 seconds. At Minus-22 seconds, overall control will be given to the onboard computer. The Vulcain 2 main engine will be readied for ignition with hydrogen chilldown starting at Minus-18 seconds. The residual hydrogen burn flares will fire beneath the Vulcain engine at Minus-6 seconds to burn away any free hydrogen gas. The cryogenic fueling arm is also retracted at Minus-6 seconds.At Minus-3 seconds, onboard systems take over and the two inertial guidance systems go to flight mode. The rocket's navigation, guidance and attitude control functions are also activated. Vulcain 2 main engine ignition occurs at Minus-0 seconds with checkout between Plus+4 and Plus+7 seconds. If there are no problems found, the solid rocket boosters are ignited at Plus+7.0 seconds for liftoff at Plus+7.3 seconds.1310 GMT (9:10 a.m. EDT)Minus-2 minutes and counting. The Vulcain 2 engine supply valves are being opened, and the ground valves for engine chilldown are being closed. Electric heaters for the rocket's batteries and the Vulcain 2 ignition system are being turned off.1309 GMT (9:09 a.m. EDT)Minus-3 minutes and counting. The scheduled launch time has been loaded into the rocket's main computer system. The upper stage's liquid hydrogen system is now topped off and the tank is being transitioned to flight pressure. The main stage tank pressures should also now be at flight level.1308 GMT (9:08 a.m. EDT)Minus-4 minutes and counting. Pressurization is now underway for the main cryogenic stage's liquid oxygen and hydrogen tanks. Also, final pyrotechnic arming is starting.1307 GMT (9:07 a.m. EDT)Minus-5 minutes and counting. Nothing is standing in the way of liftoff at the opening of this morning's window.1306 GMT (9:06 a.m. EDT)Minus-6 minutes and counting. Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen supplies of the main cryogenic stage are being verified at flight level. Also, the pyrotechnic line safety barriers are being armed.1305 GMT (9:05 a.m. EDT)Minus-6 minutes, 30 seconds and counting. Officials are confirming the readiness of the Ariane 5's two scientific payloads and their ground segment.1305 GMT (9:05 a.m. EDT)Minus-7 minutes and counting. The synchronized sequence has started. Computers are now in control of this automated final phase of the launch countdown to prepare the rocket and ground systems for liftoff. There are three computers running the countdown -- one aboard the Ariane 5 and two redundant computers at the ELA-3 launch complex.1304 GMT (9:04 a.m. EDT)Minus-8 minutes. One minute away from the beginning of the synchronized sequence. Everything remains green on the main status board.1302 GMT (9:02 a.m. EDT)Minus-10 minutes. This mission is a rare morning launch for the Ariane 5, which typically launches during the afternoon or evening hours on flights with commercial communications satellites.This morning's window was calculated to optimize the trajectory of Herschel and Planck to their operating post at the L2 point in deep space.1301 GMT (9:01 a.m. EDT)Minus-11 minutes. The 4,235-pound Planck spacecraft should now be running off of internal power.Planck is riding in the lower position of the payload stack, tucked inside the Ariane's Sylda 5 dual payload adapter. The spacecraft stands about 13.8 feet tall and also has a diameter of about 13.8 feet. Thales Alenia Space of France was also its prime contractor.The observatory will spend one-and-a-half years mapping the entire sky twice to detect tiny variations in the microwave background temperature of the universe. These temperature differences represent the structure of the universe when it was less than 400,000 years old.1257 GMT (8:57 a.m. EDT)Minus-15 minutes. The 7,500-pound Herschel observatory should now be running off of internal power.Herschel is riding in the upper position inside the Ariane 5's payload fairing during this morning's launch. It is shaped like a tube, standing nearly 25 feet tall and stretching almost 15 feet across. Thales Alenia Space of France is the spacecraft's prime contractor.The spacecraft includes a 3.5-meter, or 11.5-foot, mirror and three instruments to study distant cold pockets in the universe where stars are just beginning to form.1252 GMT (8:52 a.m. EDT)Minus-20 minutes. In the next few minutes, engineers will transition the Herschel and Planck payloads to internal power.The status board in the Jupiter Control Center is showing all parameters remain green, indicating everything remains "go" for an on-time launch at 1312 GMT (9:12 a.m. EDT; 10:12 a.m. local time).This morning's launch window extends for 55 minutes until 1407 GMT (10:07 a.m. EDT; 11:07 a.m. local time).1247 GMT (8:47 a.m. EDT)Minus-25 minutes. Today's launch will be the 188th launch of Europe's Ariane rocket family dating back Christmas Eve of 1979, the 44th flight of the heavy-lifting Ariane 5 rocket, and the second Arianespace mission this year.The Ariane 5 rocket has 39 successful missions to its credit, including the last 29 consecutive flights since 2002. If all goes well this morning, this would mark the rocket's 40th success and 30th in a row.1227 GMT (8:27 a.m. EDT)Minus-45 minutes. Everything is on track for an on-time launch at 1312 GMT (9:12 a.m. EDT; 10:12 a.m. local time) from Kourou, French Guiana.After liftoff, the 166-foot-tall rocket will roll on an eastward trajectory from Kourou to traverse the Atlantic Ocean on the way to orbit. The Ariane 5 will follow a standard trajectory during the early portion of the launch.Engineers delayed the jettison of the rocket's payload fairing nose cone by about 50 seconds to help protect the Herschel telescope.Thomas Passvogel, project manager for the Herschel and Planck missions, explained the delayed fairing separation in an interview with Spaceflight Now:"The fairing jettison will be a bit later than nominal because we want to protect the Herschel telescope to the maximum possibility. It's launching at morning time in Kourou, so we are basically flying right into the sun. When we kick off the fairing, the telescope is not looking directly into the sun, but it is pointing very close to the sun. This was one of the reasons to delay the fairing jettison on Herschel, to be sure it doesn't look directly into the sun."The cryogenic upper stage's HM7B engine will burn for more than 15 minutes to propel the payloads to a velocity of 22,296 mph. The Ariane 5 is shooting for an injection orbit with a low point of 168 miles, a high point of 741,682 miles and an inclination of 6 degrees.Herschel separation is scheduled for Plus+25 minutes, 58 seconds."We then drift away after separation, and the upper stage makes a turn to avoid contact, then the Sylda 5 (adapter) is ejected. The launcher turns again to the side to avoid collision with that, then it spins up to 1 rpm and releases Planck," Passvogel said.Planck separation is scheduled for Plus+28 minutes, 29 seconds."If everything is perfect during the injection, Ariane 5 will put us into a direct trajectory to L2. But clearly there is an uncertainty that you always have to bear in mind for the upper stage, so there is a launcher dispersion correction we can do if we need it," Passvogel said.1212 GMT (8:12 a.m. EDT)Minus-60 minutes. The launch team should have now completed a check of connections between the Ariane 5 rocket at ground telemetry, tracking and command systems.1142 GMT (7:42 a.m. EDT)Minus-90 minutes. Just an hour-and-a-half until the Herschel and Planck observatories will be on their way to space atop the powerful Ariane 5 booster. At this point in the countdown, filling of the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks should be in the topping mode.Coming up in about 20 minutes, continuity checks between the Ariane 5 rocket and the tracking, telemetry relay and commanding systems will be verified.WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2009A sleek white Ariane 5 rocket loaded with nearly $2.5 billion of ultra-sensitive astronomy equipment rolled to its launch pad in French Guiana Wednesday.The 166-foot-tall launcher rolled to the pad from the final assemblybuilding on dual rail tracks Wednesday. Engineers later made electricaland fluid connections between the heavy-lifting rocket and the ELA-3launch zone.Liftoff of the Ariane 5 ECA rocket from the Guiana Space Center is set for1312 GMT (9:12 a.m. EDT) Thursday at the opening of a 55-minute launchwindow.Forecasters are predicting mostly cloudy skies with a chance of showersduring Thursday's launch window. Moderate winds are expected and thetemperature will be around 80 degrees Fahrenheit, according toMeteo-France, the French weather service.The Ariane 5, typically used to haul commercial communications satellitesinto orbit, will be launching two of Europe's most ambitious sciencemissions in one go.The Herschel telescope and the Planck observatory will study differentparts of the distant, cold universe from a post nearly 1 million milesfrom the night side of Earth.See our comprehensive and preview stories for more details.With a combined launch mass of 11,733 pounds, the two spacecraft are toomassive to be launched together on any other booster. And it would be tooexpensive to fly the missions on different Ariane 5 rockets, according toThomas Passvogel, the Herschel and Planck project manager at the EuropeanSpace Agency.The missions carry a combined cost of nearly $2.5 billion, making theflight one of the most expensive launches in recent history.A lot is riding on the success of Thursday's launch, but ESA concluded itwas worth the risk after an exhaustive survey of factors that could bringdown the mission, Passvogel said.The Ariane 5 is riding a streak of 29 straight successful launches datingback to 2002."Looking back at the recent Ariane 5 launches, I think we have to berealistic of the nominal risk to be taken on the dual launch," Passvogelsaid. "But it's true, putting both (spacecraft) on one launcher isincreasing the risk."In addition to ESA's multi-billion-dollar investment, scientists wouldlose decades of hard work to prepare for the missions, if the spacecraftwere lost.Scientists began studying a mission like Herschel in the early 1980s, andPlanck's development started in 1994.But officials expect everything will go as planned during Thursday's launch."I'm trying to avoid getting too excited and trying to stay cool,"Passvogel said. "It's so exciting that it's difficult to stay cool. Ithink most of the work to come needs a cool hand and good organization."Managers completed the Ariane 5's launch readiness review Saturday andanother final closeout meeting Tuesday to declare the mission was readyfor flight.The final countdown is scheduled to commence at 0142 GMT Thursday (9:42p.m. EDT Wednesday).Launch controllers will begin testing the Ariane 5's electrical systemsand configuring the rocket's first stage for fueling at 0542 GMT (1:42a.m. EDT).Six hours before liftoff, at 0712 GMT (3:12 a.m. EDT), workers will beginpreparing the launch pad for the final countdown. Controllers will alsoload flight software into the Ariane 5's computer, test radio frequencylinks between the rocket and ground antennas, and align the the rocket'sinertial guidance units.The ELA-3 launch pad will be cleared of personnel by 0812 GMT (4:12 a.m.EDT). Fueling of the rocket's first stage with cryogenic liquid hydrogenand liquid oxygen, along with pressurization of both stages' attitudecontrol systems, should begin about 10 minutes later.The fueling sequence begins with pressurization of ground propellant tanksand chilldown of cross-country lines leading to the rocket. It will takeabout two hours to load 55,000 pounds of liquid hydrogen and 330,000pounds of liquid oxygen into the rocket. Topping of the fuel tanks willcontinue until the final minutes before launch as the propellant naturallyboils off.Technicians will start a similar procedure at 0912 GMT (5:12 a.m. EDT) toload the Ariane 5's cryogenic upper stage with propellant.Controllers will begin running small amounts of supercold propellantthrough plumbing in the Vulcain 2 first stage main engine at about 1012GMT (6:12 a.m. EDT). The chilldown sequence helps cool down the piping tolessen the shock the engine will experience from the frigid fuel.Both stages should be full and in topping mode by 1112 GMT (7:12 a.m. EDT).The final synchronized launch sequence will be prepared 30 minutes beforeliftoff at 1242 GMT (8:42 a.m. EDT). The European Space Operations Centerin Germany will also give its "go" or "no go" for launch at this time.Herschel will be transitioned to internal power about 15 minutes prior tolaunch and Planck will be running off of internal power by the 11-minutepoint in the countdown.Computers will begin controlling the countdown about seven minutes priorto launch. The synchronized launch sequence governs a fast-paced series ofautomated events, including fuel tank pressurization, transitioning therocket and payloads to internal power, and taking systems to flight mode.The first stage Vulcain 2 engine will ignite as the countdown clockreaches zero. Computers will give the engine a health check before sendingthe command to ignite the Ariane 5's twin solid rocket boosters aboutseven seconds later, committing the rocket to flight. |