ESAs second Automated Transfer Vehicle, will be launched today, 16 February 2011, at 21:50 GMT (22:50 CET) by an Ariane 5 from Europes Spaceport in Kourou to deliver critical supplies and reboost the International Space Station. Read more
The ARIANE 5 ECA Launcher Lift-off is scheduled on February 16, 2011 at a precise instant:
>> Kourou Time: 06:50:55 pm on February 16, 2011. >> Launch opportunity (UT): 09:50:55 pm on February 16, 2011. >> Paris Time: 10:50:55 pm on February 16, 2011. >> Washington Time: 03:50:55 pm on February 16, 2011.
Launch of European cargo ship delayed at least 24 hours
Launch of a powerful Ariane 5 rocket carrying a European cargo craft bound for the International Space Station was delayed at least 24 hours Tuesday by a technical glitch in the final stages of the countdown. The delay could impact NASA's plans to launch the shuttle Discovery to the station on Feb. 24. Read more
The new launch date for this historic mission - which will be the 200th flight of an Ariane vehicle, with the heaviest payload ever for an Ariane 5 - is now set for February 16 at 21hr. 50min. 55 sec. Universal Time, or 18hr. 50min. 55sec. local time at the Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
The launch readiness review (RAL) took place in Kourou on Sunday, February 13 and authorized count-down operations for the ATV-2 "Johannes Kepler" launch. For its first mission of the year, Arianespace will launch the first Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), dubbed "Johannes Kepler", for the European Space Agency (ESA). Right from this first launch, the ATV will play a vital role in bringing supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). The choice of Arianespace by leading space communications operators and manufacturers is clear international recognition of the companys excellence in launch services. It will be launched from the Ariane launch complex N° 3 (ELA3), in Kourou, French Guiana. The ARIANE 5 ECA Launcher Lift-Off for this flight is scheduled on February 15, 2011 at a precise instant:
>> Kourou Time: 07:13:27 pm on February 15, 2011. >> Launch opportunity (UT): 10:13:27 pm on February 15, 2011. >> Paris Time: 11:13:27 pm on February 15, 2011. >> Washington Time: 04:13:27 pm on February 15, 2011.
ESA's latest Automated Transfer Vehicle is ready for launch to the International Space Station on Tuesday, 15 February at 22:08 GMT from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The unmanned spaceship will deliver essential supplies and reboost the Station during its mission lasting three and half months. Read more
The second of ESA's ATV automated cargo craft has been cleared for shipping to the launch site in Kourou. Its launch on an Ariane 5 to the International Space Station is scheduled for late this year. ATV-2, named after German astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler, has undergone extensive system testing at EADS Astrium's site in Bremen, Germany, over the last few months and has now been given the go-ahead for shipping. Read more