Arianespace initiated its busy 2007 launch schedule with a dual-payload success this evening (March 11) that placed the Skynet 5A and INSAT 4B satellites into accurate geostationary transfer orbit.
The heavy-lift Ariane 5 departed Europe’s Spaceport at 7:03 p.m. local time in French Guiana and deployed Skynet 5A at 26 minutes into the mission, followed four minutes later by INSAT 4B.
Arianespace has targeted six Ariane 5 missions in 2007, with the next flight planned for early May with the Astra 1L and Galaxy 17 satellites. Also scheduled for May is a launch by Arianespace’s Starsem affiliate, which will utilize a Soyuz vehicle to orbit four Globalstar satellites from Baikonur Cosmodrome.
See Arianespace’s Website for full details on this new Ariane 5 success:
www.arianespace.com