PARIS, July 8 (Xinhua) -- An Ariane 5 ECA rocket with two telecom satellites on board blasted off from Europe's Spaceport at Kourou, in French Guiana, on Monday night.
The rocket carrying ProtoStar I and Badr-6 took off at 2153 GMT Monday and the satellites were successfully inserted into a temporary orbit about 30 minutes later. They will enter geosynchronous orbit in a few days' time, according to a live broadcast by Arianespace.
ProtoStar I, produced by U.S. Space Systems Loral, will provide TV signals for southeast Asia, while Badr-6, of the European Astrium company, will provide video broadcasting for the Middle East and northern Africa.
This was the fourth launch of an Ariane rocket this year. The launch, which had been scheduled on July 4, had been postponed dueto technical problems.
Ariane 5 ECA, the latest version of the Ariane 5 launcher, is capable of launching payloads of up to 10 tonnes and dual payloads of very large satellites.
