Kourou (AFP)
After two postponements, an Ariane 5 launched on Tuesday evening from Kourou, French Guiana, to place two telecommunications satellites into geostationary orbit, AFP reported.
The launcher, which took off at 18H23 local time, (22H23 France time, 21H23 GMT) must put into orbit two telecommunications satellites, TIBA-1 on behalf of the Egyptian government, and GX5 for the British operator Inmarsat.
The duration of the mission is 34 minutes.
The shooting, scheduled for November 22, had been postponed for the first time to Monday, because of an "anomaly", had announced Arianespace, the company in charge of launch operations.
Then, "adverse weather conditions", the rainy season in Guyana had spawned a second postponement of 24 hours, had informed Arianespace.
The civil and government telecommunications satellite TIBA-1 is the fourth satellite to be launched by Arianespace on behalf of Egypt.
Its take-off weight is 5.600 kg. Its lifespan is estimated at more than 15 years.
GX5 "will provide more capacity than the entire GX fleet already in orbit and allow for rapid growth in customer demand for services in Europe and the Middle East, especially for Wi-Fi connections on commercial flights and for commercial maritime services, "the National Center for Space Studies (CNES) said in a statement.
The lifetime of GX5 (4.007 kg) is estimated at more than 16 years.
© 2019 AFP