Sep. 30, 2015 –Ariane Flight VA227

The Ariane 5 for Arianespace’s November heavy-lift mission continues to take shape in the Launcher Integration Building at the Spaceport, where its cryogenic upper stage and vehicle equipment bay have now been integrated.
With this step completed, the Flight VA227 Ariane 5’s basic build-up has been achieved, bringing together its core cryogenic stage, the two solid propellant boosters and the upper stage with its integrated vehicle equipment bay. This activity was performed by Ariane 5 prime contractor Airbus Safran Launchers.
After additional checkout, the Ariane 5 will be readied for transfer to the Final Assembly Building for installation of the mission’s Arabsat-6B and GSAT-15 passengers, under the responsibility of Arianespace.

Designated Flight VA227 in Arianespace’s numbering system, the mission is scheduled for a November liftoff and will be the 227th launch of an Ariane vehicle since the European launcher series entered operation in 1979, as well as the sixth flight of Ariane 5 in 2015.
On the mission, Arianespace will be orbiting two telecommunications satellites for long-time customers – Arabsat-6B for Arabsat and the Indian Space Research Organisation’s GSAT-15.
As the upper passenger, Arabsat-6B is to provide telecommunications and TV broadcasting services for the Middle East and Africa. It is a sixth-generation satellite that will be operated by Arabsat – the inter-governmental organization founded by the Arab League in 1976.

Arabsat-6B was produced in an Airbus Defence and Space-led consortium, with Thales Alenia Space designing and building the spacecraft’s communications payload.
The Indian Space Research Organisation-developed GSAT-15 will be the lower passenger on Flight VA227, delivering C- and Ku-band telecommunications including VSAT transmissions, TV broadcasting and emergency communications.

Image: The cryogenic upper stage and vehicle equipment bay are lifted atop and mated with Ariane 5’s core cryogenic stage during build-up activity inside the Spaceport’s Launcher Integration Building.