In the wake of satellite industry decisions to postpone near-term launches of several spacecraft, Arianespace has decided to accelerate the introduction of a second Ariane 5 launch table at the Spaceport in French Guiana, while production of both the Ariane 5 and Ariane 4 will continue apace in Europe.

As a result, Arianespace will have the industrial and operational capacity to meet its goal of performing some 12-13 missions in 2000, with the final count to be determined by the number of payloads ready for launch, and their delivery timing.

"Our operational teams are up to the challenge of reacting quickly when payloads are ready for launch, and they are backed up by European industry which is maintaining the Ariane manufacturing rate," Jean-Charles Vincent, the director of Arianespace's office at the Spaceport, said.

Delivery delays of Arianespace's customer satellites stem from problems with a small onboard thruster that is used for spacecraft orientation and station-keeping. Anomalies have been detected with a certain batch of the thrusters on different satellites, leading spacecraft manufacturers and operators to push back the launch of other satellites equipped with the same hardware.

The first impact on Arianespace is the postponement of its next Ariane 5 mission, originally scheduled for May 23. One of the two payloads planned for this flight � the Soci�t� Europ�nne de Satellites' Astra 2B spacecraft � is affected by the thruster problem and will not be available for a May launch.

Other satellites on Arianespace's 2000 mission manifest also use the same thrusters, raising questions on their availability for launch.

Arianespace is now working closely with its customers to identify satellites/payloads that will be ready for assignment to Ariane 5 and Ariane 4 missions through the rest of the year. This will enable the company to begin rebuilding its launch manifest for the months to come.

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Satellite Launch To Boost DTH In India
Calcutta, India (SPX) Dec 28, 2005
The successful launch Thursday of India's heaviest satellite from spaceport of Kourou in French Guyana may have boosted the country's space research efforts to yet another level, but it has also lifted the spirits of at least three Direct-To-Home televisions broadcasters, one of which has been waiting for years to launch its services in India.