Le Gall: Ariane 5 To Launch Twice by Mid-September

摘要

The Arianespace commercial-launch consortium expects to conduct two Ariane 5 launches by mid-September even though the payload lineup for the second launch is unclear, Arianespace Chief Executive Officer Jean-Yves Le Gall said. The Evry, France-based company, whose business model is based on launching two satellites at a time, is struggling to satisfy two customers in a hurry: the DirecTV Group of Los Angeles, whose Spaceway-2 high-definition television satellite is awaiting launch aboard a new-generation Ariane 5 ECA vehicle; and the French Defense Ministry, whose Syracuse 3A telecommunications satellite's launch has been delayed for months for reasons often beyond Arianespacc's control.