The fifth Ariane 5 of 2008 is now under Arianespace's responsibility for payload integration, final checkout and launch following its delivery by industrial prime contractor Astrium at the Spaceport in French Guiana.
Handover of this heavy-lift Ariane 5 ECA occurred with the vehicle's transfer on Saturday from the Spaceport's Launcher Integration Building (where it was assembled by Astrium), to the Final Assembly Building, where Arianespace will oversee installation of the AMC-21 and Superbird 7 telecommunications satellites.
Both payloads have undergone their fueling, with each spacecraft completing the process inside the launch site's S5 satellite preparation building. Liftoff of the mission is planned for August 12.
Arianespace is maintaining its accelerated Ariane 5 mission pace, with a total of seven flights planned in 2008 – making it the busiest year of activity since the launcher's commercial introduction in 1999.
