The Spaceport's Ariane 4 launch facility is alive with activity once again as preparations begin for Flight 156, which will carry the NSS-6 payload for New Skies Satellites, NV.
Preparations moved into full gear yesterday with the erection of Ariane 4's first stage, which took place inside the vertical assembly building at the ELA-2 launch complex.
After being removed from its large shipping container, the stage was raised to the vertical position (top photo, at left) and then hoisted onto the Ariane 4 mobile launch table (second photo).
Today, the Ariane 4's second stage was erected and raised to the vertical assembly building's mid level, where it was positioned atop the first stage (third and fourth photos, at left).
Flight 156 is scheduled for liftoff before year-end, and will use an Ariane 44L version of the Ariane 4 launcher family - equipped with four strap-on liquid boosters for augmented thrust at liftoff and during initial ascent.
This upcoming mission will be the second to the last flight of an Ariane 4, as the launcher family is being replaced by Arianespace's new-generation Ariane 5 heavy-lift vehicle.
Introduced in 1988 by Arianespace, Ariane 4 set the industry standards for dual launches of telecommunications satellites. Ariane 5 will extend Arianespace's competitive edge by ensuring that nearly all existing and future telecom payloads can be paired up for cost-efficient dual launches - no matter what their size and weight.
Flight 156 will mark Arianespace's second mission for New Skies Satellites, which owns and operates five geostationary communications satellites providing high-power global coverage for the delivery of video, Internet, voice and data transmissions services virtually anywhere in the world. The previous Arianespace launch was performed last April, when Flight 150 placed the NSS-7 satellite into a highly accurate geostationary transfer orbit.
The NSS-6 spacecraft for the upcoming Flight 156 carries a payload with six high-performance Ku-band beams. From its orbital position at 95 deg. East, NSS-6 will be able to reach markets from the Mediterranean Sea to Japan - taking in all of Asia, Australia, Southern Africa and the Middle East.
-ends- Arianespace Flight 156: - The Launch Campaign Is Underway
