The first satellite for Arianespace's year-ending mission of 2008 began its final integration phase on December 9th, with HOT BIRD-9 installed atop the launch vehicle's dual-payload dispenser at the Spaceport in French Guiana.
HOT BIRD-9 is one of two spacecraft to be orbited for Europe's Eutelsat telecommunications organization on the December 20 flight, joining W2M aboard the heavy-lift Ariane 5 ECA. During the morning's activity inside the Ariane 5 Final Assembly Building at the Spaceport, HOT BIRD-9 was lowered into place atop the SYLDA dispenser. This positions the satellite in the upper portion of the payload "stack" and readies the HOT BIRD 9/SYLDA element to be encapsulated inside the payload fairing. The next step will be to install W2M on the Ariane 5's central core stage, after which the HOT BIRD 9/SYLDA/payload fairing combination will be placed over the satellite. This activity will completed complete the Ariane 5 for launch. Arianespace's December 20 launch with HOT BIRD-9 and W2M will be the sixth flight of the workhorse Ariane 5 in 2008.
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