Arianespace delays for 2nd time launch of military satellite from French Guiana
By APThursday, December 17, 2009
Military satellite launch in French Guiana delayed
KOUROU, French Guiana — The launch of a French military satellite from French Guiana has been delayed.
Arianespace says it stopped the countdown in the final minutes before launch of the Helios 2B. Officials said Thursday that they would soon provide more details.
The original launch was delayed on Dec. 9 after officials said they noticed an anomaly in the launcher subsystem.
The Helios 2B was built by EADS Astrium for France’s National Space Study Center.
It is expected to take images that will help officials create maps, prepare for military exercises and in other tasks.
The satellite is to be the 33rd military payload lofted by Arianespace, the commercial arm of the 13-country European Space Agency.
Tags: Europe, France, French Guiana, Kourou, Latin America And Caribbean, South America, Western Europe
