Takeoff of Ariane 5, January 16, 2020 in Kourou. - AFP

Ariane 5 is off to a good start in 2020. For its first mission of the year, the European launcher succeeded on Thursday in placing in orbit two telecommunications satellites for Europe, India and Africa, said ArianeGroup. Ariane 5 took off at 6:05 p.m. local time (10:05 p.m. in Paris) from the Guyana space center in Kourou. The mission lasted 38 minutes.

Instant replay: Watch # Ariane5 lift off on # Arianespace's year-opening mission, which is being performed from the Spaceport in French Guiana. # VA251 pic.twitter.com/Kd0NaUd8wH

- Stéphane Israël (@arianespaceceo) January 16, 2020

The 107th shot of an Ariane 5

The rocket placed in geostationary orbit (36,000 km from Earth) the telecommunications satellites Eutelsat Konnect for the operator Eutelsat and GSAT-30 for the Indian Space Agency (ISRO), said ArianeGroup. This is the 107th launch of a rocket of this type.

Eutelsat Konnect is a new “all-electric” satellite, which should allow the European operator to offer access to a maximum speed of 100 megabits per second and contribute to “greatly reducing the digital divide in 40 countries in Africa and 15 countries of 'Western Europe,' said Arianespace. Designed and produced by the Indian Space Agency, GSAT-30 will provide television, telecommunications and broadcasting services throughout Indian territory, including the islands.

Ariane 6 coming soon

"This first successful launch opens a special year for the Ariane industry," said André-Hubert Roussel, Executive Chairman of ArianeGroup. 2020 marks the year of Ariane 6's “inaugural flight”, which will gradually take over from Ariane 5 “by 2023,” he added. Above all, "a record number of launches" will be continued this year from the Guyana space center, announced, at the end of the operations, Stéphane Israël, the executive chairman of Arianespace, the launching company.

The year 2020 therefore promises to be a pivotal year for the company responsible for the operation and marketing of European launchers, which celebrates its 40th anniversary. Before the end of the year, it intends to launch the inaugural launches of the new Ariane 6 and Vega C rockets. Arianespace also plans to launch more than 300 satellites in 2020, half of what it has placed in orbit in 40 years, particularly favored by the deployment of the OneWeb constellation.

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