Arianespace has taken delivery of the Ariane 5 launcher for its initial mission of 2009, which will orbit a three-element payload of NSS-9, HOT BIRD™ 10 and two small Spirale satellites. The delivery was marked by Ariane 5’s transfer from the Spaceport’s Launcher Integration Building – where the launch vehicle’s initial build-up was performed by industrial prime contractor EADS Astrium Space Transportation – to the Final Assembly Building, where Arianespace will oversee payload integration.