The final payload integration process has begun for Arianespace's fourth Ariane 5 mission of 2008, with the BADR-6 satellite now mounted atop the launcher and ProtoStar I ready for its installation.
This activity is taking place inside the Final Assembly Building at Europe's Spaceport, as preparations continue for the July 4 evening liftoff from French Guiana.
Final integration began with the encapsulation of ProtoStar I in the Ariane 5's payload fairing. ProtoStar I is the upper passenger in the mission's dual payload "stack," and is positioned atop the SYLDA 5 payload dispenser system.
With the upper payload "stack" component now complete, all is ready for its installation on Ariane 5, where it will be positioned over the BADR-6 spacecraft. BADR-6 was integrated this morning atop the heavy-lift launcher's core cryogenic stage.
During the July 4 launch, Ariane 5's payload fairing will be jettisoned at 3 min., 15 sec. Into the mission as the vehicle completes its initial ascent through the denser layers of the Earth's atmosphere. ProtoStar I is to be released at some 27 min. into the mission, followed by the separation of SYLDA 5 – which exposes BADR-6 for its deployment at 35 min., 39 sec. Into the flight.
Arianespace is planning a total of seven missions during 2008 – the busiest for Ariane 5 since the launcher's commercial introduction in 1999.
