Posted: Sat, May 5, 2007, 10:15 AM ET (1415 GMT)
An Ariane 5 launched two commercial communications satellites Friday evening after a one-day delay. The Ariane 5 ECA lifted off from Kourou, French Guiana, at 6:29 pm EDT (2229 GMT) Friday and planed the Astra 1L and Galaxy 17 spacecraft into geosynchronous transfer orbit about a half-hour later. Astra 1L, a Lockheed Martin A2100AX spacecraft owned by SES Astra, weighed 4,500 kg at launch and carries a mix of Ku- and Ka-band transponders. The spacecraft will operate at 19 degrees east and provide communications services across Europe. Galaxy 17 is a Thales Alenia Space Spacebus 3000B3 spacecraft that weighed 4,100 kg at launch and carries C- and Ku-band transponders. It will be used by its owner, Intelsat, to provide services for North America from 91 degrees west. The launch is the second of a planned six Ariane missions in 2007. The launch had been scheduled for Thursday but was delayed a day because of strong upper-level winds.
