It was an historic moment at the Spaceport today when the final Ariane 4 was
transferred from its assembly building to the launch zone.
Moving under partly cloudy skies, the vehicle rolled from its vertical
assembly building to the pad in the Spaceport’s ELA-2 launch complex. The
nearly complete Ariane 4 was installed atop a mobile launch table, which
rolled along the dual rail track connecting the preparation area with the
launch zone.
Flight 159 uses an Ariane 44L version of the Ariane 4 family, equipped with
four large liquid strap-on boosters for augmented thrust at liftoff and
initial ascent.
Liftoff of Flight 159 is set for the early morning hours of February 12,
marking the end of an era in space history. This mission will be the 116th
and final Ariane 4 flight as the launcher family is phased out in favor of
the new-generation Ariane 5 heavy-lift vehicle.
