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Arianespace Delays Soyuz Rocket Launch to Friday for Extra Checks

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An Arianespace Soyuz rocket launches the SES-15 communications satellite into orbit in May 2017. Arianespace will use a Soyuz to launch four new O3b mobile communications satellites into orbit on March 9, 2018 from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, Frenc
An Arianespace Soyuz rocket launches the SES-15 communications satellite into orbit in May 2017. Arianespace will use a Soyuz to launch four new O3b mobile communications satellites into orbit on March 9, 2018 from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. (Image credit: Arianespace)

The European launch provider Arianespace has delayed the launch of a Soyuz rocket carrying four new mobile communications satellites to no earlier than Friday (March 9) to conduct extra checks for the mission.

An Arianespace Soyuz rocket was scheduled to launch the four O3b communications satellites today (March 6) from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. But yesterday, Arianespace announced it would delay the mission to Friday.  

"This will enable additional checks as part of the resumption of launches from the Spaceport in French Guiana," Arianespace wrote in a mission update. The launch is now scheduled for Friday at 11:37 a.m. EST (1637 GMT).

The Soyuz launch will follow on the heels of Arianespace's launch of an Ariane 5 rocket on Jan. 25 that placed two communications satellites —SES-14 (which carries NASA's GOLD Earth-watching instrument) and Al Yah 3 —in the wrong orbit after liftoff. Both satellites were later found to be in good health and should be able to complete their missions, Arianespace and NASA officials have said.

Last week, Arianespace representatives said the company had traced the issue to faulty coordinates given to the Ariane 5 rocket.

The upcoming Soyuz mission will a quartet of O3b mobile communications satellites for satellite operator SES Networks. They will join 12 other 03b satellites already in orbit to provide global high-speed connectivity for customers around the world.

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Tariq Malik
Tariq Malik
Editor-in-Chief

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network. To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik.