PARIS, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The final launch of Europe's Ariane 5 rocket, mission VA261, initially scheduled for Tuesday from Kourou in French Guiana, is delayed due to weather conditions, the European Space Agency (ESA) said on Tuesday.
"Due to unfavorable weather Flight VA261 will now lift off no earlier than July 5 at 23:00 BST/00:00 CEST (2200 GMT), pending suitable conditions for launch," the ESA noted.
According to the ESA, the final flight of Ariane 5 had been already postponed in June due to pyrotechnical transmission lines.
The final flight will be the 117th mission for the rocket, a series that began in 1996, said the ESA. The satellites that the Ariane 5 rocket is supposed to carry are the German satellite Heinrich-Hertz-Satellite and the French military communications satellite Syracuse 4B, the agency added.
In a previous press release, the rocket's operator Arianespace said that the mission VA261 would last 33 minutes and 31 seconds and place both payloads into a geostationary transfer orbit.
Ariane 5 rocket has been the cornerstone of Europe's independent access to space with 116 launches. The inaugural flight of its successor Ariane 6, a new heavy-lift launch vehicle, is expected no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2023, the ESA said last year. ■