FIRMS & INSTITUTIONS

2012 (compared with its 1990 level). The AEA members already have one of the youngest combined fleets in the world. The European aerospace manufactu- rers within the membership of AECMA are continuing to develop the techno- logy needed to provide better fuel efficiency and lower CO, emissions for the next generation of civil aircraft. This will at the same time be balan- ced against other greenhouse gases. The Aeronautics Programme under the 5th Framework Programme of the European Commission aims to develop technology that will enable to reduce CO, emissions by 15-20% by 2015. n

David Henderson Manager Information - AEA

Tel.: +32 2 639 89 72. Fax: +32 2 639 89 99 davM.henderson@aea.be

Marc J. Haese Press and PR Officer

Gulledelle 94-b.5 B- 1200 Brussels

Belgium Tel.: +32 2 775 8133. Fax.+32 2 775 81 11

marc.haese@aecma.org

This article and the full version of the joint statement of AEA and AECMA are also avcdable on A ECMA’s website: hf/p://www aecma orglwhatsnew. hfm

Ariane 5: A “Textbook” Launch The fourfh Ariane 5 lifted of from Europe’s Spaceport on 70 December 7999 at the beginning of a launch window announced two months earlier when the launch campaign resumed. This flawless countdown and flight kicked off the commercial career of Arianespace ‘s new heavy-lift launcher.

t 14:32:00 GMT on 10 De- cember 1999, Ariane 504’s Vulcain engine was ignited

at the end of a smooth countdown, right on sche-

dule. Less than seven seconds later, the solid boosters also were ignited, hurtling the 746-metric ton launcher into the blue skies over French

Guyana (f&ye 1) on a northeast trajectory. Tracking this unusual flightpath were the French tracking ship “Le Monge”, in the Atlantic, and tracking stations in Arcachon, France, and Malindi, Kenya. At the end of a perfect 29-minute boost phase at some 2500 kilometers over the Middle East,

the Flight 119 payload - the European Space Agency’s XMM X-ray obser- vatory - was injected into a very eccentric elliptical orbit. The space-

craft reached an apogee nearly one-

third of the way to the moon (827 x 113 946 km., inclined 40 degrees). “Ariane 5 has demonstrated the same injection accuracy as Ariane 4”, said Jean-Marie Luton, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Arianespace, short- ly after the flight. “There is strong feeling of emotion among the scientific community, which has been working on this program for 10 years”; Roger- Maurice Bonnet, Director of Science Programs at ESA, said, “A major part of XMM’s success will come from the quality of this launch and the meticulous work of all the teams from the industry.

Ariane 5: ahead of the pack With the Ariane 5 now in its commercial inventory, Arianespace offers customers the performance,

reliability and payload volume they require. Ariane 5 is the first new- generation launcher to reach the commercial market - arriving at least two years ahead of its closest compe- titors. As many as six Ariane 5 missions are planned for next year, with 18 satellites in Arianespace’s order book available for dual payload launches on these flights. To retain its competitive edge over the long term, Arianespace is committed to a launcher upgrade program that will double Ariane 5’s payload capacity - bringing it to 12 000 kg (26 400 lb) by 2005.

The XMM satellite The ‘vital statistics’ of the XMM satellite are given in table 1. The European Space Agency (ESA) was the customer for XMM, with X-ray a&roomy as its scien-

AIR & SPACE EUROPE l VOL. 2 l No I - 2000

FIRMS & INSTITUTIONS .I

tific mission. It was built in Germany by DaimlerChrysler Aerospace - Domier Satellitensysteme GmbH. I

Information gathered from Arianespace by

Jean-Pierre Sanfourche.

Claude Sanchez or Mario de Lepine Arianespace

Boulevard de I’Europe B.F?177

91006 Evry cedex, France Tel.: t33 1 60 87 63 07 Fax: t33 160876304

www arianespace. corn

Figure 1. Ariane 5: Arianespace Flight 119-XXM, Lift-off of the Ariane 504 launcher, Kourou, 7 0 December 1999 (Doe. ArianespaceX

Table I. The XMM satellite ---

Mass: Total mass at lift-off 3764kg Without liquid propellant 3 233 kg

Dimensions: Height 10m Width 4m Span in orbit 16m Stabllisation 3 axis On-board power 1.6 kW (at end of life) Life time 10 years

Paylo& Three telescopes (modules of mirrors Walter l), each made of 58 tubular concentric mirrors

Focal distance of telescopes: 7.5m Orbital position: 7COOx 114OOOkm,

60” inclination