spacetoday.net: Ariane launches French reconnaissance satellite

Posted: Sat, Dec 19, 2009, 10:29 AM ET (1529 GMT)
Ariane 5 GS launch of Helios 2B (ESA)

An Ariane 5 launched a French reconnaissance satellite on Friday after two previous attempts were scrubbed. The Ariane 5 GS lifted off at 11:26 am EST (1626 GMT) from Kourou, French Guiana, and placed the Helios 2B satellite into a sun-synchronous orbit. The 4,200-kilogram satellite, built by EADS Astrium for the French military procurement agency DGA, will provide high-resolution imagery for the French military and those of several other European countries. The launch was originally scheduled last week but scrubbed because of a technical problem with the launcher, and a second launch attempt Thursday was halted in the final several minutes of the countdown. The launch was the seventh and final Ariane 5 mission for 2009, and was also the 35th consecutive successful Ariane 5 launch dating back to early 2003.