Another postponement for Helios 2B

The French military reconnaissance satellite Helios 2B ought to have been launched by an Ariane 5 rocket today at 16:26 UT (Universal Time). But due to a “red light” just a few minutes prior to blast off, operations have been stopped for today. If Helios 2B is to carry out its observation mission properly, it has to be placed in orbit at a most precise moment and it is therefore impossible to delay the firing of the launch vehicle by even a few seconds. The CEO of Arianespace, Jean-Yves Le Gall, stated that the cause of this interruption was being analysed and that a new attempt would, possibly, be scheduled for tomorrow at the same time.

Published on 17 December 2009