PREPARATIONS MOVE FORWARD FOR ARIANE 5’S FOURTH MISSION OF 2009

Activities in advance of Arianespace’s mid-August liftoff continue as the heavy-lift Ariane 5 ECA is delivered by prime contractor EADS Astrium to the Final Assembly Building at Europe’s Spaceport. In addition, the JCSAT-12 satellite – one of the launcher’s two passengers for the mission – has entered pre-launch checkout in the Spaceport’s S5 payload preparation facility.