Arianespace's New Heavy Lifter Launches Two Satellites

LAUNCH PAD

File photo of the the Ariane 5 ECA on the launch pad.

Paris (AFP) Nov 17, 2005
An Ariane-5 ECA launcher with two telecommunications satellites, whose blast-off was repeatedly postponed, lifted off from the Kourou base in French Guiana Wednesday, European group Arianespace said.

The Ariane-5 ECA rocket was launched at 8:46 pm (2346 GMT).

The mission was initially scheduled for June 24 but postponed several times for technical reasons.

Thirty minutes after the launch the rocket released satellite television firm DirecTV's Spaceway 2, which weighs 6.1 tonnes at lift-off, and will enable the company to provide live coverage in the United States, as well as Telkom 2, weighing nearly two tonnes.

Telkom 2 is owned by the Indonesian company PT Telkom Indonesia.

The two satellites were sent into orbit at a provisional altitude of 1,120 and 2,300 kilometers (695 and 1,425 miles) respectively from where they will gradually reach their final geostationary orbit, Arianespace said.

Arianespace chief Jean-Yves Le Gall hailed "this new success which shows that our launchers are very safe.

"More than eight tonnes were sent into orbit which is a world record," he added.

Ariane-5 ECA rockets are designed to carry a payload of almost 10 tonnes.

A new launch of an Ariane-5 with two telecommunications satellites has been scheduled for the second half of December, said Le Gall.

Arianespace has launched a total 11 satellites so far this year.

All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.

LAUNCH PAD

Sea Launch Signs With DirecTV For Launch In 2007

Long Beach CA (SPX) Nov 16, 2005
Sea Launch has signed a firm launch contract with DirecTV, for a mission scheduled in early 2007. The contract includes an option for an additional launch.

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.