WESTERN Europe's first new generation Ariane-5 rocket is set to carry into orbit tomorrow four identical satellites that will study the turbulent relationship between Earth and sun.
Billed by the European Space Agency as "one of the most ambitious space missions ever attempted", the four satellites, dubbed Cluster, are scheduled for launch at 8.35 a.m. local time from ESA's launch centre in Kourou, French Guiana.
"This is the first time this has never been attempted - four spacecraft, identical, launched on one launch vehicle. We are putting all our eggs into one basket," Mr John Credland, Cluster project director for ESA, told a news conference.
"It's a very exciting scientific mission because it's going to do something that nobody has managed to do before. It is going to measure the plasma environment of the Earth and the effect of the sun on the Earth," he said.
The satellites are scheduled to be separated from the rocket that carries them, one by one, 30 minutes after launch. After entering their respective orbits, they will fly in formation and allow scientists to measure subtle changes in the interaction between the Earth and the sun.
The satellites will look at how particles from the sun interact with the Earth's magnetic field and will observe in unprecedented detail the magnetic and electrical interactions between the Earth and sun.
The $500 million (£319 million) programme was conceived 10 years ago. Two hundred investigators in Europe worked to develop scientific instruments designed to operate for over two years. Scientists in China, Canada, Russia, India, Israel and the US will participate in the mission's study.
. An Irish company has developed components on the Ariane-5 that will help steer the launcher's main stage Vulcan engine. Devtec Ltd has a contract for the supply of components for the first 16 Ariane5 flights, and a successful launch tomorrow opens up the possibility of a further order for components worth £7 million.
The company brought in Irish companies in the development and supply of its components including precision engineering firms in Longford, Waterford, Galway and Louth.