Washington – June 18, 1999 – Arianespace and CNES have decided to slip again the launch date for the 4th Ariane 5 launcher. The delay pushed the liftoff to late July or early August at the earliest, French space sources say.
The launch, carrying the AsiaStar and Telkom-1 satellites, was originally scheduled for April and then for mid-June. Probelms in shipping the AsiaStar pushed the launch to mid-July before today's latest announced delay.
The year 1999 is turning out to be a major disappointment for Arianespace. Its last commercial Ariane 4 launch occured in March. Satellite readiness issues have also caused the next Ariane 4, now set for late June, to be repeatedly delayed.
The Ariane 5 launch with the dual satellites is planned as the first fully commercial Ariane 5 launch with Arianespace Inc. in operational control. A fifth Ariane 5 flight was originally anticipated before year's end, but the delay may make that unlikely.
Arianespace operational goals call for a launch every month, or 12 annual launches. At the current rate some nine launches for the year seem more likely, and even that might slip depending on the readiness of the launcher's payloads.
