By Xinhua,
Paris : An Ariane 5 rocket blasted off Friday at the Kourou launch center, French Guiana, on the northeast coast of South America, carrying Brazilian, Vietnamese satellites, Arianespace said.
It was the 24th consecutive successful mission by an Ariane 5 rocket, and the second of seven planned flights for 2008.
The heavy-lift Ariane 5 ECA successfully placed the Brazilian Star One C2 and Vietnamese VINASAT-1 satellites into geostationary transfer orbit, according to Arianespace.
VINASAT-1 is Vietnam’s first telecommunications satellite to provide radio, television and telephone services across the country. The 2.6-tonne craft was built by U.S. firm Lockheed Martin for Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group.
With the deployment of the 4.1-tonne Star One C2, which was built by Thales Alenia Space, Brazilian telecommunications operator Star One is to provide telecommunications, multimedia and internet services over South America.