The launch campaign for Flight 145 started in the Ariane 5 launcher integration
building, when the core cryogenic stage was erected and mated to
Ariane 5’s two solid boosters.
On September 19, 2001 an EPS
storable propellant upper stage was installed atop the core stage,
allowing the basic integration process to be completed. This upper
stage subsequently is to be replaced by another that incorporates
modifications adopted after the in-flight malfunction that occurred
during Flight 142. |
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The S5 satellite
preparation facility at Europe's Spaceport is alive with activity
once again as Envisat enters its final checkout in preparation for
launch in late February. This large Earth monitoring spacecraft will
be orbited by the next Ariane 5 mission (Flight 145), set for late
February.
The Envisat satellite includes a
large side-mounted solar panel that will serve the
spacecraft's average power requirement of 3,560 Watts. The
solar panel and antennas on Envisat will deploy after launch
by Ariane 5, giving the spacecraft an in-orbit size of 26 X 10
X 5 meters.
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January 10: Envisat takes shape in the S5 facility
The following photo show the action
as Envisat's solar array was moved into position for
integration on the spacecraft's service module. The solar array is
made up of 14 panels and provides 6.5 kW of power at end-of-life.
When deployed in space, the array will measure 14 meters × 5 meters. |
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February 7: Envisat is readied for fueling:
While Envisat is one of the
largest satellites built by Europe, it is accommodated with
ease in the S5A fueling and integration hall of the S5
facility. In this picture, personnel conduct tests in
preparation for the satellite's fueling with monopropellant
hydrazine. After its February 28 launch, Envisat will be
operated by the European Space Agency to monitor the Earth and
its environment in unprecedented detail.
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A system control check is
performed as preparations are made for fueling of the Envisat
spacecraft in the S5A hall. Envisat has a maximum overall mass
of 8,500 kg. at launch, and will be filled with a nominal
propellant load of 314 kg. of monopropellant hydrazine, which
is to be carried in four tanks of the propulsion subsystem. |
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The satellite makes its first
contact with launcher hardware! Envisat is mated to the Ariane
5's payload adapter. The adapter will be the interface between
the spacecraft and its Ariane 5 when the payload is installed
atop the heavy-lift launch vehicle. As preparations with
Envisat continue inside the S5 building, the launcher is
undergoing final checkout in the Ariane 5 final assembly
building several kilometers away. |
