Article Posted on : - Nov 29, 2010

This aerial photo details Ariane 5’s initial climb-out from the ELA 3 launch zone at Europe’s Spaceport, which is located adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean coastline in French Guiana. Photo: Arianespace.

KOUROU, FRENCH GUIANA (BNS): The fifth Ariane 5 mission of 2010 lifted up two communication satellites Intelsat 17 and HYLAS 1 on Friday in Kourou, French Guiana.

Lifting off from the Spaceport’s ELA 3 launch zone in French Guiana, the heavy-lift Ariane 5 deployed its Intelsat 17 and HYLAS 1 passengers during a daytime mission lasting 49 minutes.

According to an Arianespace news report, Ariane 5 was launched on Friday, at 3:39 pm local time (1839 GMT) from the launch zone located in Guianan rainforest in South America.

It was the 54th mission for Arianespace vehicle and the 198th flight of an Ariane family launcher.

"This success also reinforces Ariane 5’s position as a global reference, because since the start of 2010, it has already enabled us to orbit 10 large telecommunications satellites out of the 17 total launched worldwide," Arianespace Chairman & CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall, was quoted as saying in the report.

The Ariane 5 ECA (Cryogenic Evolution type A) – the most powerful version in the Ariane 5 range – was used for this flight.

The Ariane 5 ECA is an improved Ariane 5 Generic launcher. Although it has the same general architecture, a number of major changes were made to the basic structure of the Ariane 5 Generic version to increase thrust and enable it to carry heavier payloads into orbit.

Intelsat 17 was released first during today’s mission. This spacecraft is built by Space Systems/Loral of the United States and will replace Intelsat 702. It weighs around 5540 kilograms and will deliver a wide range of communications services for Europe, Africa, the Middle East and India.

HYLAS 1, weighing 2570 kilograms, is the first satellite for London-based Avanti Communications, a new European satellite operator, and also the first European satellite to offer high- speed broadband services across Europe.

It is designed and produced by EADS Astrium in partnership with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

The next flight of Ariane 5 will orbit the Hispasat 1E and KOREASAT 6 satellites on a mission planned before year-end, the Arianespace said in a statement.