Ariane 5 sound installation at Expo 2020 in Dubai
Published on Mon, 04.10.2021 – 15:50 CEST in Events, covering ArianeGroupThe launch of an Ariane 5 in Kourou (French Guiana) is an impressive experience. Thanks to the cooperation between ArianeGroup and Devialet, this can now be experienced without having to travel to South America.
On August 6, 2019, an Ariane 5 launched the two satellites Intelsat 39 and EDRS-C (for Airbus) into space. Devialet sound technicians were also present at the launch, recording the event with special microphones. Among the microphones used were a 3D microphone, a pair of microphones in stereo mode and a directional microphone with strong focusing. The sounds recorded with these microphones were then processed with software so that the launch could be relived in a 360° cabin.
© ArianeGroup / Devialet
Special loudspeakers are used to make the sounds physically perceptible. Corresponding video footage is intended to reinforce the impression of being there. The observation point is a safe distance away in the jungle, but the thunder of the engines will still be audible. It's not for nothing that the launch is referred to as the "Rumble in the Amazon jungle".
Premiere in Dubai, tour through Europe
© Expo 2020 Dubai
The premiere of this installation took place on October 2, 2021 in the French pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai. It has been open to the public since October 3 - provided you attend the Expo. After the world exhibition, however, the exhibit is to go on tour in Europe, with the announcement for dates of the individual stops announced for the end of 2021.
ESA workhorse
© ESA – S. Corvaja
Ariane 5 is ESA's workhorse, and the current version, 5ECA, has already lifted off 72 times. With a reliability of 97%, it carries payloads weighing up to 16 tons into low Earth orbit (LEO), and almost 11 tons into geostationary orbit. A special highlight will be the launch on December 18, 2021 (currently planned), when the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is scheduled to make its way into space after a delay of several years. There, it will replace Hubble, probably the best-known of all space telescopes, which has been in use since the 1990s.
via ArianeGroup, Expo 2020 Dubai, ESA
