spacetoday.net: Ariane 5 launches two communications satellites

Posted: Sun, Apr 8, 2018, 9:30 AM ET (1330 GMT)
Ariane 5 launch of Hylas-4 and Superbird-8, April 2018 (Arianespace)

The Ariane 5 returned to flight Thursday, launching two communications satellites. The rocket lifted off from Kourou, French Guiana, at 5:34 pm EDT (2134 GMT) and placed its payloads into geostationary transfer orbits about a half-hour later. The rocket carried the DSN-1/Superbird-8 for Sky Perfect JSAT and Hylas-4 for Avanti. Both satellites suffered extensive delays: DSN-1/Superbird-8 was damaged during transport to the launch site for its originally planned 2016 launch, while Hylas-4 suffered manufacturing problems and financial difficulties. The launch was the first for the Ariane 5 since a January mission that placed two satellites into orbits with the wrong inclinations because the vehicle launched on the wrong azimuth.