Technical glitch thwarts Skynet launch
Sunday, 11 Mar 2007 10:09
Ariane 5
The launch of a satellite which will provide the British armed forces with sophisticated new long-distance communications links has been postponed due to a technical glitch.
Space officials at the Skynet 5A satellite's launch site in French Guyana have confirmed that the heavy-lift mission, originally scheduled to blast off at 19:25 local time on Saturday, was delayed so that engineers could address a fault in the launch-pad water deluge system.
The system provides a high-volume flow of water to keep the launch-pad cool and to protect the cargo from vibrations, but the 33-minute launch window expired before engineers could guarantee that it would work.
Jean-Yves Le Gall, chief executive of rocket launch company Arianespace, has confirmed that the launch of the satellite on board the Ariane-5 rocket is now expected to be rescheduled for Sunday evening.
Part of a £3.6 billion project, the Skynet 5A platform will provide the British armed forces with a new generation of secure communications, linking the Ministry of Defence to commanders around the world.
Malcolm Peto, managing director of the satellite's manufacturer Paradigm Secure Communications, said: "The best armed forces in the world deserve the best communications service. And that is what we will provide with Skynet 5."
As well as Britain's hi-tech system, the Ariane-5 rocket will also carry the Insat 4B civilian communications satellite on behalf of India's Space Research Organisation.