Arianespace Ariane 5 VA258 – Eutelsat Konnect VHTS Launch

Update: The launch attempt on 2022-09-06 was scrubbed for reasons of which I am not aware. The launch has been re-scheduled for the next day at the same time. I have updated the text below to reflect this. They seem to be re-using the same video stream as originally announced; if a new one appears, I will update the video embed in this post.

Arianespace plans to launch their second Ariane 5 mission of 2022 on 2022-09-07 at 21:45 UTC, with a launch window that extends until 23:11 UTC. The launch, from the European Space Centre in French Guiana, will carry the Eutelsat Konnect VHTS (Very High Throughput Satellite) to geostationary transfer orbit. This satellite has a mass of 6.4 tonnes and stands 8.8 metres tall inside the payload fairing so it, unusually for an Ariane 5 launch, will be the only payload.

This is only the second Ariane 5 launch in 2022. By comparison, SpaceX has launched a total of 40 Falcon 9 missions so far this year, however, only two of which were commercial communication satellites to geostationary transfer orbit, the speciality of Ariane 5.

Here is a pre-launch preview from Everyday Astronaut.

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