Volga-Dnepr Airlines has delivered the third stage of the Soyuz-ST launch vehicle to Europe’s Spaceport in Cayenne.
Its transportation from Samara in Russia to French Guiana is in readiness for the vehicle to launch the U.S. SES-15 satellite into orbit in early April for SES, one of the world’s leading satellite communications companies.
Progress Space Rocket Centre, which commissioned the flight, is one of Volga-Dnepr’s key customers in the Russian aerospace industry. Having initially approached the airline earlier this year to discuss the delivery of the launch vehicle, Volga-Dnepr’s Load Planning Centre produced a design of the special cradle to be used to lift the launch vehicle into the IL-76TD-90VD freighter and a step-by-step guide to the loading procedures being implemented for its transportation.
The expertise of Volga-Dnepr’s Load Planning specialists, and the detailed project documentation they produced, demonstrated the airline’s ability to ensure a safe delivery. The routing of the flight was also important given the fragile nature of the cargo, and was chosen to avoid the need for multiple landings en route.
