Thwarted by late deliveries of payloads, Arianespace has amended its launch schedule and payload manifest so it can resume operations after a hiatus which has lasted since 2 April.
Flight V118, aboard an Ariane 42P, will carry Indonesia's Telkom 1 on 4 August on the third Ariane mission of the year, while V120/ Ariane 42P will carry the Koreasat 3 on 26 August.
Six Ariane 4 and 5 flights will take place between September and December. An Ariane 4, carrying the Telstar 7, will start the sequence. Flight V119, Ariane 504, the delayed first commercial Ariane 5 mission, is still planned for launch this year, with either the Asiastar, Astra 2B, Insat, Eutelsat W4 or the X Ray Multi Mirror craft, depending on availability.
At least one more Ariane 5 is planned for later this year, although the company is making the necessary technical studies to ensure the launch of all five payloads on Ariane 5s this year, if necessary, some flying missions with more than one satellite.
Arianespace still plans to fly 10 boosters this year, matching last year's performance.The company says, however: "Flight schedules and the choice of launcher depend on the arrival time of the satellites at the Kourou launch site."
Source: Flight International
