BUILD-UP BEGINS FOR THE SIXTH ARIANE 5 TO BE LAUNCHED THIS YEAR

Parallel Ariane 5 launch campaigns are once again underway at the Spaceport in French Guiana as Arianespace prepares for the fifth and sixth flights of its heavy-lift launcher during 2009. In the latest activity, the no. 6 vehicle has begun taking shape in the Launcher Integration Building, while the for Arianespace’s fifth Ariane 5 of 2009 is in the Final Assembly Building awaiting the installation of its COMSATBw-1 and Amazonas 2 satellite passengers for a liftoff scheduled at the end of this month.