The launch will take place in the year 2000 from Europe�s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. AMSAT Phase 3D will be one of the first secondary payloads boosted by Ariane 5, which will use a special adapter for orbital injection.

Weighing 650 kg (1,430 lb) at launch, AMSAT Phase 3-D will be injected into a geostationary transfer orbit. It will then use its own propulsion system to reach elliptical orbit (4,000 x 47,000 km, inclined at 60 degrees), where it will be used as a relay by the international community of amateur radio operators for nearly ten years.

In 2000, Arianespace will also inaugurate its new ASAP-5 (Ariane Structure for Auxiliary Payloads), designed for micro-satellites weighing less than 100 kg (220 lb) or mini-satellites weighing less than 300 kg (660 lb). ASAP-5 replaces the previous-generation ASAP-4, which has been used 6 times on Ariane 4.

On the commercial front, two long-standing Ariane customers � Hughes Space & Communications and Soci�t� Europ�enne des Satellites (SES) � will once again use Arianespace for the launch of a direct TV broadcast satellite.

Arianespace announced today at TELECOM�99 the contract with Hughes Space & Communications for the launch of the Soci�t� Europ�enne des Satellites Astra 2D digital television satellite, which will be orbited in 2000 by an Ariane 4 or Ariane 5.

Astra 2D will be launched during the fourth quarter of 2000 under terms of an agreement with Hughes Space & Communications, which is building the satellite for SES of Luxemburg. The Astra 2D payload joins three other SES satellites currently contracted to Arianespace for upcoming launches: Astra 1K, Astra 2B and one spacecraft yet to be named.

"Two global leaders in the satcom industry have once again selected Ariane," noted Jean-Marie Luton. "This contract � our 44th for a satellite built by Hughes Space & Communications, and our ninth launch for Soci�t� Europ�enne des Satellites � clearly shows that these major industry players are fully satisfied with Arianespace�s launch services."

Astra 2D is based on an HS-376 HP platform built by Hughes Space & Communications in El Segundo, California. Weighing 1,500 kilograms (3,300 lb.) at launch and fitted with 16 Ku-band transponders, the satellite will provide direct digital TV broadcast services for Europe. Astra 2D will be positioned at 28.2 degrees East over Central Africa, with its coverage area optimized for the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Following the signature of its tenth and eleventh launch contracts of the year, for Astra 2D and NSS-7, and prior to Flight 122/Orion 2, scheduled for October 19, Arianespace�s order book stands at 44 satellites to be launched.