Posted: Thu, Nov 17, 2005, 8:55 AM ET (1355 GMT)
An Ariane 5 launched Thursday night two satellites that together comprised the heaviest commercial payload ever launched. The Ariane 5 ECA lifted off at 6:46 pm EST (2346 GMT) Thursday from Kourou, French Guiana. The rocket placed its two satellites, Spaceway 2 and Telkom 2, into geosynchronous transfer orbit about a half hour after liftoff. Spaceway 2, weighing over 6,100 kg, is a Boeing 702 owned by DirecTV to provide high-definition TV services from 99.2 degrees west in GEO. Telkom 2, built by Orbital Sciences for Indonesian telecommunications company PT. Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk., weighs nearly 2,000 kg and will operate from 18 degrees east. The combined mass of the two satellites, over 8,000 kg, makes this launch the heaviest commercial payload launched to date. The launch is the second flight for the Ariane 5 ECA since its inaugural launch in late 2002 failed.
