Skynet 5B is launched
Ariane 5 Rocket Launches British and Brazilian Satellites
By Stephen Clark
posted: 15 November 2007
8:04 a.m. ET
The Ariane 5 rocket launched on another flawless mission Wednesday evening with a British space-based military communications relay station and a multi-purpose communications satellite for Brazil.
The workhorse rocket leapt away from its launch pad in Kourou, French Guiana, at 2206 GMT (5:06 p.m. EST). The Ariane 5, making its fifth flight of the year, set off on an easterly course from the launch site moments after liftoff.
The rocket’s twin solid rocket boosters, first stage and cryogenic upper stage all performed well during the launch. The second stage released the two satellite payloads about a half-hour into the flight.
The Ariane 5 hit its marks during the voyage to space, arriving in an elliptical geostationary transfer orbit with a low point of 155 miles, a high point of 22,340 miles, and an inclination of six degrees. All of the orbital parameters were within pre-flight targets.
The British military’s Skynet 5B communications satellite was deployed first, followed about six minutes later by the separation of Star One C1, a Brazilian broadcasting spacecraft.
Source: http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/sfn-071114-ariane5-launch.html
