THREE LAUNCHERS AT THE EQUATOR FOR ARIANESPACE

Preparations are in full swing for the service introduction of Soyuz and Vega at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, where the third Ariane 5 for launch in 2011 also is being readied for integration of its dual-satellite payload. The stepped-up pace was evident across the Spaceport this week, with new activity at each of the launch sites for these three Arianespace vehicles.