MaqSat 3 & ARD
Ariane 5 G
European Space Agency
Mission
MaqSat 3 & ARD
- Type: Dedicated Rideshare
- Orbit: Geostationary Transfer Orbit
MaqSat 3 was a dummy satellite to test the Ariane Vehicle. ARD was the Advanced Reentry Demonstrator, built by ESA. This is developed for experimental purposes to validate reentry techniques.
Location
Ariane Launch Area 3
Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Ariane Launch Area 3 has witnessed the launch of 118 rockets, including 118 orbital launch attempts, while Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana, has been the site for 322 rocket launches.
Rocket
ArianeGroup Ariane 5 G
The original version is dubbed Ariane 5 G (Generic) and had a launch mass of 737 tonnes. Its payload capability to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) was 6,900 kg (15,200 lb) for a single satellite or 6,100 kg (13,400 lb) for dual launches. It flew 17 times with one failure and two partial failures.
Agency
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency is an intergovernmental organisation of 22 member states. Established in 1975 and headquartered in Paris, France, ESA has a worldwide staff of about 2,000 employees.
ESA’s space flight programme includes human spaceflight (mainly through participation in the International Space Station program); the launch and operation of unmanned exploration missions to other planets and the Moon; Earth observation, science and telecommunication; designing launch vehicles; and maintaining a major spaceport, the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou, French Guiana.
