Posted: Thu, Aug 30, 2001, 1:35 PM ET (1735 GMT)
An Ariane 4 rocket launched an Intelsat communications satellite early Thursday, nearly two months after the failure of an Ariane 5. The Ariane 44L, the version of the Ariane 4 with four liquid-propellant strap-on boosters, lifted off on Flight 143 from Kourou, French Guiana at 2:46 am EDT (0646 GMT). It successfully placed into geosynchronous transfer orbit the Intelsat 902 communications satellite. The spacecraft, a Space Systems/Loral 1300 series, will be used by Intelsat to provide enhanced telecommunications services to customers in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East from its position in geosynchronous orbit at 62 degrees east. The spacecraft is the second of seven spacecraft in the Intelsat IX series to be launched, with the remaining five to be placed in orbit over the next two years. The launch was the first for Arianespace since the July 12 launch of an Ariane 5. That launch placed two satellites in lower-than-planned orbits because of a problem with an upper stage engine. The Ariane 5 is expected to return to service by the end of November; the next Ariane 4 launch is scheduled for September 25.
