spacetoday.net: Ariane 5 launches two satellites

Posted: Sat, Jul 6, 2002, 12:23 AM ET (0423 GMT)
Ariane 5 liftoff on Flight 142

An Ariane 5 successfully launched two communications satellites Friday night. The Ariane 5 lifted off on Flight 153 at 7:22 pm EDT (2322 GMT) from Kourou, French Guiana and placed into geosynchronous transfer orbit the Stellat 5 and N-STAR c satellites. Stellat 5 is the first satellite deployed by Stellat, a joint venture between France Telecom and Europe*Star. The Alcatel Spacebus 3000 spacecraft will provide video and data services for Africa and the Middle East from 5 degrees west. N-STAR c, built by Orbital Sciences Corporation and Lockheed Martin, will be used by NTT DoCoMo for mobile telephony from 136 degrees east. The launch is the second launch for the Ariane 5 this year and the eighth overall for Arianespace. The next Arianespace launch will be in late August, when an Ariane 5 will launch Atlantic Bird 1, a communications satellite, and MSG 1, a European weather satellite.