Posted on 01/25/2018 5:15:28 PM PST by BenLurkin
Update for 7 p.m. ET: European spaceflight provider Arianespace has apparently lost contact with the Ariane 5 rocket that was carrying two commercial satellites and a NASA science instrument into orbit.
Arianespace CEO Stephane Israel delivered a statement regarding the anomaly via the launch webcast (video above). That statement is as follows: "Ladies and gentlemen, I come to give you some information because we have had an anomaly on this launch. Indeed, we lost contact with the launcher a few seconds after ignition of the upper stage. At that time, we can consider that the upper composite and the satellite as being (inaudible)..... We need now some time to know if they have been separated, and where they are exactly, to better analyze the consequences of this anomaly. I want to present my deepest excuses to our customers, who have entrusted us one more time. We know that there is no launch with no risk. We know that launch is always difficult, and tonight Ariane 5 has had an anomaly, so lets take time now to better understand the situation of the satellites. Arianespace, in full transparency, will come back to you to provide you with some more information as soon as we have them. I apologize on behalf of Arianespace."
An eagle-eyed NASA instrument, built to study the boundary between Earth and space, hitched a ride to space today (Jan. 25) with a new communications satellite that launched into orbit on a European rocket.
The Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) instrument, somewhere between a microwave and minifridge in size, lifted off with the SES-14 telecommunications satellite on an Ariane 5 rocket from Guiana Space Center in French Guiana. Another communications satellite, called Al Yah 3, launched on the same rocket.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
O.K. I won’t do it .... but you know it’s coming .....
Oops.
How do you say “Oh darn!!” in French???
Guiana Space Center in French Guiana
sacré bleu
Seems like they payload(s) deployed anyway. Pretty unusual.
vhttp://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=42215.240
I think I saw this in a Bond movie a long time ago.
Eet iss muy tragico!
Oh, wait.
Self-driving rocket :-)
Oh, I know.
"I understand monsieur, and we are extremimont sorry of course, but nonetheless... ze bill must still be paid, monsieur.
Hahahaha!
Made my day.
“I want to present my deepest excuses to our customers, who have entrusted us one more time. “
Never heard that one before.
This sounds like satire.
Zoot Allures
I always loved the Angry Alligator.
Well, unless it was your space capsule being captured and returned to those evil villains.....(isn’t that redundant?)
Al Yah?
Another communications satellite, called Al Yah 3, launched on the same rocket.
Yes, it was heard to communicate “Allah Akbar!” before
communication was lost...
Hahahaha!!
Perhaps so.
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