Ariane 5 Lofts Two Satellites

Two satellites were carried into space Tuesday evening, atop a massive Ariane 5 rocket, which blasted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The rocket lifted off at 23:44 UTC, and the satellites were put into their geosynchronous transfer orbits 30 minutes later.

On board the Ariane 5 booster were the Spaceway 3 and BSAT-3a satellites. Spaceway 3 was built by Boeing, and will serve as a broadband data communications satellite to customers in North America. BSAT-3a will provide television services to Japan.

Telemetry after the launch confirmed that the two satellites were accurately placed into their transfer orbits, and ground controllers received communications from both satellites, confirming that they’re healthy and operational.

This was the 3rd of 6 planned launches for 2007, and the 19th consecutive successful launch for the Ariane 5 rocket.

Original Source:ESA News Release