Arianespace Orbits Three Satellites

Thanks to Arianespace's Ariane-5 rocket, three customers in the US, Australia and Japan have new satellites in orbit as of late Friday.

The Ariane-5 rocket lifted off from Arianespace's launch facility in Kourou, French Guiana on the northeast coast of South America.

The powerful, heavy-lift rocket is billed by the company as the most cost-effective launch platform for large, heavy satellites. The rocket can boost up to 11 tons into orbit.

The six-ton DIRECTV 9S was first off the rocket into orbit. The satellite will provide high-definition broadcast capability for DirecTV customers in the US including Alaska and Hawaii.

Six minutes later, the 2.5 ton OPTUS D1 floated away on its mission to provide direct television, telephone and data services for Australia and New Zealand.

Optus executive vice president Bill Hope told Reuters, "We have already had six (satellite) launches, but none has been as critical as this one as it will replace our (OPTUS) B1 satellite that is approaching the end of its operational life."

The final satellite placed in orbit was Japan's LDREX-2. It carries an experimental antenna for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

This makes the sixth consecutive successful commercial launch for Ariane-5. The first rocket exploded in flight during the initial launch attempt in 2002.

European aviation and space conglomerate EADS owns 28-percent of Arianespace.

FMI: www.arianespace.com