ARIANESPACE WRAPS UP ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR OF OPERATIONS

Ariane 5 delivered the French Helios 2B military observation satellite into Sun-synchronous polar orbit this afternoon on Arianespace’s seventh mission of 2009. Today’s flight from Europe’s Spaceport marked the 35th consecutive success for Ariane 5 during seven years of operation, reinforcing its role as the heavy-lift vehicle of reference for the world’s commercial launch services sector.