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The Mission




Rocket: Ariane 5 ECA
Payload: Skynet 5A & INSAT 4B
Date: March 11, 2007
Window: 2203-2258 GMT (6:03-6:58 p.m. EDT)
Site: ELA-3, Kourou, French Guiana




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Atlantis rolls back
Battered by an intense hail storm six days earlier, space shuttle Atlantis retreated off launch pad 39A and returned to the cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building on March 4 to undergo thorough inspections and repairs.

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NASA budget hearing
This U.S. Senate space subcommittee hearing to examine NASA's proposed Fiscal Year 2008 budget features testimony from NASA Administrator Mike Griffin on February 28.

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Hail delays Atlantis
Launch of space shuttle Atlantis is postponed after golf ball-sized hail from a severe storm damaged the foam insulation on the external fuel tank. NASA announces the delay and plans to return the shuttle to the Vehicle Assembly Building for repairs.

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STS-116: ISS re-wiring
Spacewalking astronauts on the December 2006 flight of shuttle Discovery performed a delicate re-wiring of the International Space Station's electrical system and retracted a stubborn solar array wing. The work accomplished critical steps in preparing the station to power the upcoming international science laboratory modules. Some members of the STS-116 crew narrate the highlights of the mission in this post-flight film.

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BY SPACEFLIGHT NOW

Follow the launch of Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket carrying the Skynet 5A and INSAT 4B communications spacecraft. Reload this page for the latest on the mission.