PARIS, Jun 16 (NNN-XINHUA) – The final launch of Europe’s Ariane 5 rocket, mission VA261, initially scheduled for today, at Kourou in French Guiana, is officially postponed by its operator, Arianespace.
“It has come to light that there is a risk to the redundancy of a critical function on the Ariane 5. Consistent with safety requirements, Arianespace has decided to postpone the rollout of the #VA261 launch vehicle,” the company said in a press release, yesterday.
Arianespace said, it would conduct analyses to determine a new launch date, to carry two satellites into space.
According to the company, the satellites that the Ariane 5 rocket is supposed to carry are the German satellite, Heinrich-Hertz-Satellite, and the French military communications satellite, Syracuse 4B.
In a previous press release, Arianespace said that, the mission VA261 would last 33 minutes and 31 seconds, and place both payloads into a geostationary transfer orbit.
Arianespace operates the Ariane 5 for the European Space Agency (ESA). Debuted in 1996, Ariane 5 rocket has been the cornerstone of Europe’s independent access to space with 116 launches.
The inaugural flight of its successor Ariane 6, a new heavy-lift launch vehicle, will only be possible from the fourth quarter of 2023, at the earliest, the ESA said last year.– NNN-XINHUA
