The world news is dominated by doom and gloom, causing depression and pessimism, but sometimes a shaft of sunlight cuts through the fog to brighten the day and give us hope. This Christmas Eve, the launch of flight VA256 by Ariane 5 promises to open new horizons on our understanding of the universe and cosmic…
The French Ministry for the Armed Forces has signed a new contract with ArianeGroup for an augmented optical surveillance capability for Medium Earth Orbits (MEO), Geostationary Earth Orbits (GEO) and High Earth Orbits (HEO). ArianeGroup has a reliable and operational network of varied optical sensors around the world and a centralized Command and Control centre,…
This week marks the end of the successful deorbiting of Europe’s first meteorological satellite in polar orbit, Metop-A, by Europe’s meteorological satellite agency, EUMETSAT, with support from Airbus. Starting on Tuesday the satellite will spiral downward in progressively lower orbits until it disintegrates upon re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere, a process that is expected to end…
Arianespace successfully carried out its 20th Vega launch (VV20), its 12th launch of the year and the third with the Vega light launcher. It was also the 300th launch by Arianespace from the Guiana Space Centre. The mission orbited three CERES satellites, developed for the French armed forces with French defense procurement agency DGA as…
Ariane 5 is on the cusp of setting 3 new records when it carries the SES-17 and SYRACUSE 4A satellites for its second launch of the year, scheduled for Friday October 22. Arianespace will orbit two geostationary satellites: SES-17, a high throughput satellite operated by SES and SYRACUSE 4A, a satellite developed for the French…
Arianespace has successfully performed Soyuz Flight ST36. This latest launch for OneWeb placed 36 more satellites into orbit. ST36 represents an important step in OneWeb and Arianespace’s partnership: the operator now has more than half, 358 satellites, of its constellation in orbit. ST36 is the 10th launch of Arianespace in 2021. Performed on Thursday, October…
The world’s leading satellite launch company has called for new rules to combat dangers posed by an “ever congested” space.” The Ariane Group says a “rules book” is needed to tackle the issue to stop space becoming “dangerously congested.” It is estimated that the average individual uses 47 satellites every day and that, by 2025, the…
On Monday 16 August a Vega launcher operated by Arianespace will lift off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, with the optical observation satellite Pléiades Neo 4. It will also deploy four scientific spacecraft: three to the benefit of the European Space Agency (ESA) and one for the French start-up company Unseenlabs. Pléiades Neo 4…
Late on Friday night, the first Ariane 5 flight of 2021 operated by Arianespace successfully placed two satellites in orbit after launching from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou with the support of teams from the French space agency CNES: Star One D2, built by Maxar Technologies for Brazilian operator Embratel, and EUTELSAT QUANTUM for…
The next Ariane 5 launch is scheduled to take place at GMT plus 1 (23.00-00.30) on Friday 30 July from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. This will be the first Ariane launch in 2021. The rocket will carry a payload of two geostationary telecommunications satellites, Star One D2 and EUTELSAT QUANTUM which…
