Ariane-5 claims another dual-payload success

Facing a delay for 24 hours over a technical glitch, Ariane-5 rocket finally blasted off from a launch pad at Europe’s Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana at 6:03 p.m. EDT (2203 GMT) on Sunday.

Saturday launch attempt of the Ariane 5 botched when technicians experienced problems with the water deluge system of the shuttle at the launch pad.

The Ariane-5 ECA rocket successfully shuttled the British Defense Ministry's Skynet 5A satellite at 26 minutes into the mission, followed four minutes later by India’s INSAT 4B civil communications satellite into geostationary transfer orbit.

Skynet 5A weighed approximately 4,700 kg. at liftoff, while INSAT 4B had a launch mass of about 3,000 kg, Arianespace officials said.

Developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), INSAT 4B weighs 3,028-kilogram (6,675-pounds). The satellite is designed to provide television broadcast services and telecommunications signals primarily to the Indian subcontinent from a geosynchronous orbit 22,300 miles (36,000 kilometers) above Earth.

Whereas built by EADS Astrium - the satellite manufacturing division of EADS, the Skynet-5A is the first in a series of next-generation secure military relay satellites that will operate for the British Defense Ministry to aid British armed forces, NATO and allied countries with high-bandwidth, secure communications services. The satellite weighs 10,361-pound (4,700-kilogram).

Arianespace, a French company founded in 1980 undertakes the production, operation and marketing of the Ariane 5 rocket launcher. The company holds more than 50 percent of the world market for boosting satellites to geostationary transfer orbit.

Sunday’s launch is the first of six Ariane 5 flights planned in 2007 by Arianespace. By 2009 the Arianespace plans to achieve figure of eight Ariane 5 missions annually.

Arianespace CEO Jean Yves Le Gall also announced Arianespace's next Ariane 5 launch from Europe's Spaceport: a dual-payload flight in early May with Astra 1L for SES Astra and Galaxy 17 for Intelsat.