Arianespace – Page 14 – Spaceflight Now

European weather satellite blasts off from French Guiana

November 7, 2018 Stephen Clark

A Russian-built Soyuz rocket launched Tuesday from the Guiana Space Center on the northeastern coast of South America, boosting Europe’s MetOp-C satellite into orbit to benefit weather forecasters worldwide and closing out a generation of weather-observing technology.

Live coverage: Soyuz rocket launches from French Guiana with weather satellite

November 6, 2018 Stephen Clark

Europe’s MetOp-C weather satellite launched aboard a Russian-built Soyuz rocket toward polar orbit Tuesday night from French Guiana, joining an international fleet of meteorological observatories critical for global weather forecasting. Liftoff occurred at 7:47 p.m. EST Tuesday (0047 GMT Wednesday).

Photos: Europe’s MetOp-C weather satellite readied for liftoff

November 6, 2018 Stephen Clark

A new European weather satellite is ready for launch Tuesday night aboard a Soyuz rocket from French Guiana, and these photos illustrate the final weeks of the spacecraft’s launch campaign.

Soyuz rocket rolls out for launch of European weather satellite

November 5, 2018 Stephen Clark

A Russian-built Soyuz booster arrived at its tropical launch pad in South America on Friday and was joined with a European weather satellite for launch Tuesday night.

Ariane 5 launches two satellites on 7-year voyage to Mercury

October 20, 2018 William Harwood

A powerful European Ariane 5 rocket blasted off from French Guiana late Friday and boosted a pair of satellites into space for a seven-year plunge into the inner solar system, a voyage requiring seven planetary flybys to slow down enough in the sun’s gravitational clutches to slip into orbit around hellish Mercury.

Photos: BepiColombo stacked for launch to Mercury

October 19, 2018 Stephen Clark

Ground crews at the Guiana Space Center in South America have spent the last few months preparing the BepiColombo spacecraft, a tandem mission with European and Japanese science orbiters bound for Mercury, for launch aboard an Ariane 5 rocket.

Live coverage: Probe heading to Mercury blasts off from French Guiana

October 19, 2018 Stephen Clark

The nearly $1.9 billion BepiColombo mission to Mercury jointly developed by the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency lifted off Friday night from French Guiana aboard an Ariane 5 rocket. Launch occurred at 9:45 p.m. EDT Friday (0145 GMT Saturday).

Photos: Ariane 5 rolls to launch pad with two commercial comsats

September 25, 2018 Stephen Clark

An Ariane 5 rocket emerged from the final assembly building at the Guiana Space Center in South America on Monday for the journey across the tropical spaceport to the ELA-3 launch zone, where the 179-foot-tall (54.8-meter) booster will lift off Tuesday with a pair of commercial communications satellites.

Live coverage: Ariane 5 rocket launches for 100th time

September 25, 2018 Stephen Clark

Two U.S.-built communications satellites rode the 100th European-made Ariane 5 rocket into orbit Tuesday from the jungle of French Guiana. Liftoff occurred at 2238 GMT (6:38 p.m. EDT) after a 45-minute delay caused by a range technical problem.

Arianespace signs Eutelsat as first commercial customer for new Ariane 6 rocket

September 11, 2018 Stephen Clark

Eutelsat is the first commercial company to commit to launching on Europe’s new Ariane 6 rocket, under a five-launch agreement announced Monday in conjunction with fresh contracts for Arianespace to haul a French spy satellite and a pair of Indian communications satellites into orbit.