[Satellite Today 01-29-09] Arianespace transferred the launch vehicle for its first 2009 mission to the final assembly building at Europe’s spaceport, the company announced Jan. 27.
    The Ariane 5 rocket was delivered from industrial prime contractor EADS Astrium to Arianespace, which takes over responsibility for payload integration and the final launch operations.
    The Feb. 12 mission will carry a three-element payload, consisting of SES New Skies‘ NSS-9 relay platform, produced by Orbital Sciences; Eutelsat‘s Hot Bird 10, built by EADS Astrium; and two small Spirale satellites, which are demonstrators for a French defense space-based optical early warning system.