Arianespace Scrubs VA253 Launch
Update: August 14 is the new targeted launch date for Flight VA253.
With the progress of operations currently underway at the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building in French Guiana, August 14 is envisioned as the launch date for Ariane Flight VA253, with the possibility of the process being optimized for the mission to be performed one day earlier.
Original story:
The final countdown for Flight Ariane #253 (VA253) was halted at about two minutes before liftoff during a first launch attempt on July 31 due to the unexpected behavior of a sensor inside the liquid hydrogen tank in the launcher’s main cryogenic stage.
Ariane 5 was transferred back to the Final Assembly Building (BAF), where a spare sensor will be set up and a new flight program uploaded to the launcher. These additional operations, and those that follow, will take several days. In the meantime, the Ariane 5 launch vehicle and its three spacecraft payloads are in stable and safe conditions.
With the schedule being firmed up, a new target launch date will be announced by Monday, August 3.
The three payloads for the mission include Galaxy 30, built by Northrop Grumman for Intelsat. G-30 will provide UHD video distribution/broadcast and broadband services that cover North America. G-30 will be the first satellite to be deployed during the mission
MEV-2 is to be separated from Ariane 5 in Flight VA253’s second deployment step. This highly innovative satellite servicing vehicle, which is built by Northrop Grumman’s wholly-owned company, SpaceLogistics LLC, is designed to dock with satellites in orbit, offering life extension services. The initial spacecraft target for MEV-2 is the Intelsat 10-02 satellite, which has been in geostationary orbit since 2004. MEV-2 will provide five years of life extension for this relay platform.
Completing Ariane 5’s mission is the deployment of BSAT-4b, designed for Ultra-High-Definition (UHD, 4K and 8K) direct-to-home television broadcasting across Japan in conjunction with its twin, BSAT-4a – launched by Arianespace in 2017. Built by Maxar Technologies, BSAT-4b will be operated by Japan’s Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation (B-SAT).