Arianespace Delays MSG-3 Launch

PARIS — European launch consortium Arianespace has rescheduled liftoff of the MSG-3 meteorological spacecraft to July 5 from June 19 to give satellite fleet operator Hughes Network Systems time to conduct additional checks of its EchoStar 17 telecommunication satellite, which is to be launched with MSG-3 on an Ariane 5 ECA rocket. Built by Space Systems/Loral of Palo Alto, Calif., the Ka-band EchoStar 17 is based on the same Loral-built LS-1300 spacecraft bus that failed to deploy one of two solar array panels on the Intelsat-19 satellite launched May 31 atop a Sea Launch rocket from an ocean-based platform on the equator ...