#arianespace

[lonestarflight]

Launch of an X-38-based crew vehicle onboard Arianespace's Ariane 5. Several X-38 variants beyond the Crew Return Vehicle were proposed, for crew/cargo launch and freeflying scientific missions.

Renders by brickmack: link

[surroundingw]

FROM :  without-ado  -  Arianespace launch

[general-hugss]

[itsfullofstars]

Ariane 5 with James Webb Space Telescope Prelaunch by James Webb Space Telescope https://flic.kr/p/2mT1CWv

[mickeyisprocrastinating]

Big changes for the Mars Sample Return program

Until now, the purpose of the mission was to collect the Martian soil samples with the Perseverance rover and deposit them at a designated point, waiting for a rover lander with the task of collecting the tubes containing the samples and bring them to the lander, where waiting for them there would be another lander with a solid-fuel mini rocket with a capsule where they could be deposited. The mini rocket has the task of bringing the capsule into Martian orbit, which will be intercepted and retrieved by an ESA orbiter, which, in turn, will bring the capsule with the samples close to Earth.

Following a reanalysis of Perseverance's operational expectation, the plan has undergone major changes, simplifying the mission and potentially saving budget.

The rocket and its lander, respectively Sample Retrieval Lander and Mars Ascent Vehicle, remain in the design; two drones will be added to them, based on Ingenuity's design, with tube retrieval capability, to have a secondary retrieval system.

Once in Mars orbit, the capsule will be intercepted by NASA's Capture, Containment, and Return System, aboard the Earth Return Orbiter spacecraft, provided by ESA.

The orbiter is scheduled to launch in the fall of 2027 aboard the new Ariane 6, the lander in the summer of 2028. With this timeline, the samples should arrive on Earth in 2033.

The next steps for the mission are the start of the preliminary design phase in October. During this phase, which is expected to last 12 months, the development of technologies and the creation of engineering prototypes of the main components will be completed.

[spaceflight-insider]

An 'incident' with the James Webb Space Telescope delays launch

An 'incident' with the @NASAWebb delays launch. #JWST #Ariane5

The James Webb Space Telescope arrives in the clean room in French Guiana in preparation for launch after traveling some 5,800 miles by sea from California. Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn The James Webb Space Telescope has incurred another delay and is now set to launch from French Guiana no earlier than Dec. 22, 2021. (more…)

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[spaceexp]

In the 1990s, @ESA’s two ERS satellites were the most sophisticated Earth observation spacecraft developed and launched by Europe. #OTD in 1991, #Arianespace used an #Ariane 4 to orbit the 🥇st satellite – ERS-1 – followed in 1995 by ERS-2, which also was lofted by Ariane 4. https://t.co/K1G2Miw62S

[aedelia]

Watch "Arianespace Flight VA253 – Galaxy 30 / MEV-2 / BSAT-4b - August 15th, 2020 (EN)" on YouTube

Launch window starts in about 20 minutes, (5:30pm EST). Might be a little later but hopefully the launch will happen this time!