SECOND PASSENGER INTEGRATED ON ARIANE 5 FOR MAY 14 SPACE SCIENCE MISSION

The Herschel space telescope has joined its Planck observatory co-passenger on Ariane 5 at Europe’s Spaceport. Preparations for the heavy-lift vehicle’s May 14 launch from French Guiana now enter their final phase, which includes a “top-up” of liquid helium in Herschel’s cryostat cooling system.