Space | 02. August 2012

Ariane 5 with record GTO payload mass launches tonight

Exactly four weeks after the last launch, the next Ariane is, once again, on the launch platform! The final launch preparations are underway for what will be the fourth Ariane 5 launch (VA208) this year from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. The 'dress rehearsal' took place last Friday, and the Launch Readiness Review was completed successfully on Tuesday. Yesterday, the rocket was rolled out to the launch platform, so nothing stands in the way of tonight’s launch. The Ariane 5 launch window opens at 22:54 CEST and closes 57 minutes later at 23:51 CEST. Those interested can follow the launch on the 'live-stream' provided by Arianespace. read more

Space | 06. July 2012

Into orbit as planned

Late in the evening, just as the launch window opened at 23:36 CEST, the Ariane 5ECA VA207 launched successfully with the EchoStar XVII and MSG-3 satellites on board. About 34 minutes later, the two payloads were injected into geostationary transfer orbits. This was the 49th successive successful launch of an Ariane 5, and the third one this year. read more

Other | 04. July 2012

Ariane 5 ready for launch in Kourou carrying one weather and one telecommunications satellite

It's that time again! Final preparations for the third Ariane 5 launch this year (VA207) are currently underway at Europe's spaceport in French Guiana. Following a successful launch readiness review on Tuesday and yesterday's roll out to the launch pad, no other formalities stand in the way of tonight's launch. The launch window opens at 23:36 CEST and closes 29 minutes later, that is, tomorrow at 00:05 CEST. The launch window opens at 23:36 CEST and closes 29 minutes later, that is, tomorrow at 00:05 CEST. Arianespace will be live streaming the launch here. read more

Other | 29. June 2012 | posted by Falk Dambowsky

SpaceLiveBlog – Ready for Ignition!

It's almost here. Our SpaceLiveBlog will be filled with new space-related events. In the future, Thilo Kranz and Denis Regenbrecht will be blogging here. Thilo Kranz isn't a newcomer; he blogged about the final Space Shuttle launches and delivered some striking pictures of the Shuttle's farewell. Together with Denis Regenbrecht, he works for the Ariane programme in DLR's Space Administration. For this reason, they both have front row seats during an Ariane or, more recently, a Soyuz or Vega lift-off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Ready for Ignition! We look forward to details and background information about the upcoming countdowns. read more

Other | 28. March 2012

Timeline for ATV-3 docking

So that everyone knows what is happening as ATV-3, 'Eduardo Amaldi', approaches and docks with the International Space Station, here is the nominal timeline for this evening's activities: read more

Other | 28. March 2012

ATV-3 docking tonight – live blog from the control centre in Toulouse

ATV-3 logo

After a successful launch on board an Ariane 5 ES rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on 23 March 2012, ATV-3, ‘Edoardo Amaldi’, is nearing the end of its journey to the International Space Station (ISS). It is scheduled to dock with the Zvezda module at 00:33 CEST tomorrow morning (29 March – 22:33 UTC [28 March]), where it will remain for five months. read more

Other | 23. March 2012

'Shuttle Launch Blog' is now 'SpaceLiveBlog'

Launch of ATV3

This blog used to be called 'Shuttle Launch Blog', and reported on the latest Space Shuttle flights and missions. Since the shuttle programme has now ended, we want to use this blog as a source of information for a wide variety of space-related events, such as launches from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, spacewalks at the International Space Station or the docking of the European Automated Transfer Vehicle, ATV, with the ISS. For this reason, from now on, it will be the ' SpaceLiveBlog'. Updates coming soon ... read more

Space | 22. July 2011

STS-135 Atlantis – the final episode

The Space Shuttle Atlantis announced its arrival at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in the early morning hours of 21 July 2011 with a double sonic boom. Just over three minutes later, the spaceship touched down on the runway and at 05:57:54 local time "wheels stop" was called for the last time. Atlantis and its crew had safely returned to Earth. NASA's space shuttles have travelled into orbit 135 times; this era ended today. The space shuttles have shaped US space policy for the last 30 years and have stood as an icon of human spaceflight for a whole generation. read more