- Join the France 24 community here
- Log in
REUTERS - A technical problem has delayed the launch of a French spy satellite from French Guiana which had been scheduled for Wednesday, the head of the launch company said.
Arianespace President Jean-Yves Le Gall told reporters that problems detected during the night forced the countdown to be stopped.
"We have an anomaly in a helium pressure system valve. That will have to be replaced and inspected," Le Gall said.
He said corrective measures would take at least several days before a new launch could be attempted.
The Ariane-5 rocket was slated to launch the Helios 2 B satellite, developed to help France prepare missions and assess threats worldwide, as well as drawing up maps of uncharted zones in Afghanistan, Iraq, Chad and the neighbouring Sudanese region of Darfur.
It is an integral element in France's military intelligence arsenal, French defence officials said.
Related Content
SCIENCE
‘Darth Vader’ demands free land from Ukrainian government
Browse all editions
FRANCE 24 PARTNERS
Comments
Post new comment