Cheops arrives at the Soyuz launch pad

Arrival of the upper composite of the Soyuz launcher that will lift ESA’s Cheops mission into space at the launch pad ahead of its integration on the 3-stage section of the launcher, which is already positioned in the final launch position. This photo was taken on 12 December. Launch is scheduled for 17 December from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

The upper composite, enveloped by the fairing, comprises the Fregat and all passengers – the Italian space agency’s Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation satellite, Cheops, and three CubeSats: ESA’s OPS-SAT and the French space agency’s CNES's EYE-SAT and ANGELS satellites. The fairing sticker includes, among others, the ESA and Cheops mission logos and the winning design of the Cheops fairing sticker competition, on the left, created by Denis Vrenko.

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