Launch delay for VA243

Due to additional technical checks with the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) GSAT-11 satellite, to be conducted from the ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) located at Bangalore, the Ariane 5 launch initially planned for May 25, 2018, VA243, has been postponed. The next Arianespace launch will therefore be VA244, in July 2018. An Ariane 5 ES launch vehicle will orbit four more Galileo satellites for the European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA). The launch of the Azerspace-2/Intelsat-38 satellite for Azercosmos and Intelsat has been rescheduled for this summer, following VA244. The planned date and the co-passenger will be announced shortly. The rest of the 2018 Arianespace launch manifest remains unchanged.