Posted: Sat, Sep 29, 2012, 8:46 AM ET (1246 GMT)
An Ariane 5 rocket successfully placed into orbit Friday evening communications satellites for a European company and the Indian space agency. The Ariane 5 ECA lifted off from Kourou, French Guiana, at 5:18 pm EDT (2118 GMT) Friday and placed the Astra 2F and GSAT-10 satellites into geosynchronous transfer orbit. Astra 2F, built by EADS Astrium for European satellite operator SES, weighed 6,000 kilograms at launch and carrie a payload of Ka- and Ku-band transponders. The satellite will be located at 28.2 degrees east in GEO to provide direct-to-home television services to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. GSAT-10, built by and for the Indian space agency ISRO, weighed 3,400 kilograms at launch and carries C- and Ku-band transponders. It will provide communications services for India from 83 degrees east in GEO, and also carries a navigation payload to augment GPS signals for aviation applications. The launch was the fifth Ariane 5 mission of 2012.
