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Flight 159
January 30: Rollout of the final Ariane 4

It was an historic moment at the Spaceport today when the final Ariane 
4 was transferred from its assembly building to the launch zone.

Moving under partly cloudy skies, the vehicle rolled from its vertical 
assembly building to the pad in the Spaceport's ELA-2 launch complex. 
The nearly complete Ariane 4 was installed atop a mobile launch table, 
which rolled along the dual rail track connecting the preparation area 
with the launch zone.

Flight 159 uses an Ariane 44L version of the Ariane 4 family, equipped 
with four large liquid strap-on boosters for augmented thrust at 
liftoff and initial ascent.

Liftoff of Flight 159 is set for the early morning hours of February
12, marking the end of an era in space history. This mission will be
the 116th and final Ariane 4 flight as the launcher family is phased
out in favor of the new-generation Ariane 5 heavy-lift vehicle.

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