Ariane 5’s 1st Launch of 2019 Coming Up

Images credit & copyright: Arianespace/CNES.

Launch Alert! Tuesday, February 5, 2019 at 21:01 UTC (16:01 EST) Arianespace will launch their massive Ariane 5 ECA rocket, designated VA247 carrying the HellasSat 4/SaudiGeoSat 1 and GSAT 11 from Launch Site, Ensemble de Lancement Ariane-3 (ELA-3) at the Arianespace Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

Arianespace, Ariane 5 Rocket: 2-stage expendable launch vehicle that stands 50.5 m (165.8 ft.) tall, 5.4 m (17.7 ft.) in diameter and is equipped with two solid rocket boosters. It comes in two variants (ECA & ES) and carries payloads weighing more than 10 metric tons to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) and over 20 metric tons into Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

Ariane 5 ECA: The Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) workhorse usually carries a payload of two satellites. The primary difference from the Ariane 5 ECA configuration is the use of a storable propellant upper stage, which can perform multiple burns to deploy payloads into the desired orbit.

Ariane 5 ES is tailored for low-Earth orbit missions with the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), a resupply spacecraft for the International Space Station (ISS) that weighs more than 19,000 kg at liftoff. The ES Ariane 5 version also is capable of lofting satellites for Europe’s new Galileo space-based navigation system. The primary difference from the Ariane 5 ECA configuration is the use of a storable propellant upper stage, which can perform multiple burns to deploy payloads into the desired orbit.

Payload Fairing (PLF): The main payload fairing is a 2-shell protective enclosure 5.4 m. (17.7 ft.) in diameter and 20 m. (65.6 ft.) in length. Roughly 3 minutes and around 100 km after liftoff the PLF halves are pyrotechnically jettisoned.

Inside the fairing of the ECA configuration is the structure that accommodates two satellites called “Systeme de Lancement Double Ariane 5” or SYLDA 5.

Etage Superieur Cryotechnique (ESC-A) Cryogenic Upper Stage (ECA configuration):

Upper stage also contains the Vehicle Equipment Bay (VEB-C) or “The Brain” which controls the entire vehicle autonomously and also transmits flight data back to the ground.

Height: 4.7 m. (15.4 ft.)

Diameter: 5.4m (17.7 ft.)

Engine(s): Single HM-7B

Engine Type (cycle): Gas generator (open cycle)

Chamber Pressure: 3.7 MPa (37 bar)

Propellant Feed: Turbopump

Fuel Type: Liquid

Fuel: Liquid hydrogen (LH2)

Oxidizer: Liquid Oxygen (LOX)

Thrust (vacuum): 67 kN (15,000 lbf.)

Specific Impulse (vacuum): 446 s

Burn Time: 945 s

Reusable?: No

Etage Propergols Stockables (EPS) Second Stage (ES configuration):

Upper stage also contains the Vehicle Equipment Bay (VEB-C) or “The Brain” which controls the entire vehicle autonomously and also transmits flight data back to the ground.

Height: 3.4 m. (11 ft.)

Diameter: 5.4m (17.7 ft.)

Engine(s): Single Aestus

Engine Type (cycle): Pressure fed

Chamber Pressure: 11 bar

Propellant Feed: Pressure fed

Fuel Type: Liquid

Fuel: Monomethylhydrazine (MMH)

Oxidizer: Nitrogen tetroxide (N2O4)

Thrust (vacuum): 27 kN (6,100 lbf.)

Specific Impulse (sea level/vacuum): N/A

Burn Time: 1170 s