Arianespace Readies August Launch of Three Satellites
By Staff Writer | July 14, 2003
At the end of August, Arianespace is preparing to launch three satellites onboard an Ariane 5 rocket from its Kourou spaceport in French Guiana. The three satellites are the European Space Agency‘s SMART-1 scientific satellite, the Indian Space Research Organisation’s INSAT-3E communications satellite and Eutelsat’s e-BIRD communications satellite.
SMART-1 will be Europe’s first mission to the moon. It also will be the first ESA mission to test solar-electric propulsion as a main propulsion system.