Arianespace reset launch of its final Ariane 5 rocket for July 4 after replacing three suspect transmission lines in the pyrotechnical system needed to separate and jettison the vehicle’s solid booster.
The mission, which is intended to deliver two European government communications satellites into orbit, had been targeted to launch on June 16 but was delayed after similar components for another program failed acceptance tests.
“Following the replacement of the three pyrotechnical transmission lines identified as doubtful on the Ariane 5 launcher, as well as a comprehensive review of all pyrotechnical lines, Arianespace decided to resume the launch campaign for VA261,” the company said in a June 23 statement.
Launch from the European Space Agency’s spaceport in French Guiana is scheduled between 5:30 p.m. and 7:05 p.m. EDT (6:30 p.m.-8:05 p.m. local time) on July 4.
The rocket will be carrying two spacecraft: Syracuse 4B, a geostationary communications satellite built by Airbus and Thales Alenia Space for the French defense ministry; and the Heinrich-Hertz, which is a telecommunications satellite funded by the German aerospace center DLR to test advanced communication satellite technologies.
The mission marks the 117th launch of an Ariane 5, of which 111 have been successful, to wrap up a 27-year program.
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