1998-059
The ARD spacecraft, built by Aerospatiale for ESA, is scheduled for the Ariane 503 test flight. ARD has a mass of 2800 kg and is 2.4m high. Based on the Apollo Command Module at 80 percent scale, its heat shield is 2.8m in diameter and uses thermal tiles. It is launched upsidedown on top of the Speltra. The comsat secondary payload is mounted inside Speltra. The cryo first stage burns out at 215 km altitude; ARD separates, then the upper stage and Speltra separate from the first stage and the upper stage ignites. It was launched on a suborbital, 75-minute flight with an apogee of 875 km, and landed in the Pacific Ocean south of Hawaii near Kirimati at around 3.69N 153.35W. The ARD shell was based on the Apollo Command Module. It has seven 400N thrusters derived from the EPS stage's SCA attitude control system.
Ariane 503 was the first Ariane 5 owned and launched by Arianespace (as their flight V112), with ESA and CNES as customers. Ariane 501 and 502 were ESA missions.
ILAM orbit was 5 x 847 km x 5.8; prelaunch article in ISTS said -20 x 890 x 7.5.
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| ARD |
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| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
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| 1998 Oct 21 | 1637:21 | Launch by Ariane 503 | CSG ELA2 |
| | | T+2:23 EAP sep, 70 km |
| | | T+3:13 Fairing sep 115 km |
| | | T+9:53 EPC MECO |
| | 1647:21 | T+10:00 EPC sep 167 km | 93.03 1 x 844 x 5.7 (ILAM) |
| | 1649:23 | T+12:02 EPS/ARD sep 216 km | 93.10 5 x 847 x 5.8 (ILAM) |
| | | T+12:43 Speltra sep from EPS |
| | | T+15:14 EPS burn |
| | | T+30:28 EPS MECO | 1027 x 35863 x 7.0 |
| | | T+31:00? EPS simulated deploy satellite |
| | | T+40:00 EPS venting |
| | 1720:41 | T+43:21 ARD apogee 830 km |
| | 1756:27 | T+1:19:06 ARD entry 120 km |
| | 1759 | T+1:22 out of blackout |
| | | 63 km lateral maneuver |
| | 1805 | T+1:28:00 Parachutes open, 14 km |
| | 1821:35 | T+1:44:14 Splashdown |
| | | EPC reentry over Pacific |
| | 2200? | Recovery by Prarial |
