14 DAY TRIAL // A new Ariane V heavy-lift delivery system took off from the Kourou Spaceport, in French Guiana, South America, yesterday, September 28. This was the fifth mission carried out by such a rocket this year. The vehicle is built by French aerospace company Arianespace.
The Ariane V took off at 18:18 local time (2118 GMT /23:18 CEST), carrying the Astra-2F and GSAT-10 telecommunications satellites into their respective planned geostationary orbits. The European Space Agency (ESA) designated the new flight VA209.
“The satellites were accurately injected into their transfer orbits about 27 minutes and 30 minutes after liftoff, respectively. From this transfer orbit, the satellites’ own apogee booster motors circularise their orbits to attain geostationary orbit,” officials at ESA say in a statement.
Once commissioned, Astra-2F will cover Africa, the Middle East and Europe, and provide direct-to-home TV broadcast for these areas. GSAT-10 will provide similar services, plus radio navigation and telecommunication, to India.