Ariane 40 — mission imagery
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Success

Helios 1B

Ariane 40ArianespaceAriane Launch Area 2
Friday, December 3, 1999 · 04:22 PM UTC

This mission is complete.

Mission Brief

The Helios program is Europe's military optical reconnaissance system consisting of both a space and a ground segment, which commenced service in 1995, jointly funded by the French, Italian and Spanish governments. The Helios I optical observation satellites, launched in July 1995 and December 1999 respectively, can acquire high resolution images of any point on the globe, with daily revisit capability. Helios-1B had suffered a breakdown of its power supply system in October 2004 and could no longer perform any work after operating for just under its 5-year nominal life expectancy.

PayloadHelios 1B
OrbitPolar Orbit
CustomerArianespace
Stages2
PadAriane Launch Area 2, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

Mission Timeline

14 / 14100%

Ground vector

Launch site

Site locked

Ariane Launch Area 2

Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

Global range
SITE LOCK
Latitude
5.232°N
Longitude
52.778°W

Range Weather

Launch commit criteria

Clear
Watch
TrackingNo active constraints
Weather Rules

Tracking no weather issues at this time.

Primary concern
No weather issues
Rule count
0
Temperature
Not reported
Surface wind
Not reported
Window

04:22 PM UTC - 04:22 PM UTC

Vehicle

Ariane 40

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Height63 m
LEO Payload10,900 kg
Launches356
Successes312

Provider

Arianespace

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FRA • Founded 1980

Schedule History

No meaningful launch-time or status changes recorded.