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February 1, 2002: Ariane 5′s upper stage readied for its "first
flight"
The upper stage for Ariane 5′s
next mission was formally delivered to Arianespace today and was
prepared for its shipment by air from Europe to French Guiana.
European space hardware manufacturer
Astrium handed the stage over at Germany′s Bremen Airport, where it
was loaded aboard a Ukrainian-built Antonov An-124 cargo aircraft
for the flight to Cayenne. |
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February 5, 2002: Ariane 5 receives its upper stage:
The EPS upper stage for Flight 145
is removed from its shipping container on Monday, February 4,
after being flown in from Europe aboard a cargo airliner on
February 2. A review of the Flight 145 launcher status on
Monday morning gave the go-ahead for the stage's integration,
which was performed inside the Ariane 5 final assembly
building at the Spaceport's ELA-3 launch complex.
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Launch team members monitor the
EPS upper stage as it is lowered into position inside the
Ariane 5's vehicle equipment bay atop the launch vehicle. The
stage's propellant tanks for the Aestus engine are clearly
visible in this action photo, which was taken in the upper
level of the Ariane 5 final assembly building. |
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February 25, 2002: The Ariane is complete:
The 8,050-kg. Envisat spacecraft
is hoisted from the Ariane 5 building's clean room preparation
area as the first step in the process of installing the
payload atop its Ariane 5. A 50-company consortium led by
Europe's Astrium produced this 10.5-meter-tall European
environmental satellite.
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Launch team members check Envisat
following the satellite's integration on Ariane 5. The image
was taken from an upper level of the final assembly building,
and shows the spacecraft in position on the launcher - with
the black cone-shaped adapter serving as the interface. |
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The 17-meter-long payload fairing
is lowered over the Envisat satellite as the encapsulation
process nears completion. The 5.4-meter-wide fairing is made
up of two half-shells composed of 10 panels. During launch,
the fairing will be jettisoned once the Ariane 5 has climbed
through the dense layers of the atmosphere.
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This view shows the Ariane 5 with
the payload fairing in place. Visible to the left and right of
the launcher's central stage are nose cones of Ariane 5's two
solid boosters. The Ariane 5 will be transferred to the ELA-3
launch zone on February 27, with liftoff set for the following
evening at 10:05.59 p.m. |
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