In a crucial mission for Europe’s space programme, an upgraded Ariane-5 rocket successfully orbited two satellites into space on Saturday — two years after a first attempt ended in failure.
Twenty-six minutes after launch, space officials said the XTAR-EUR satellite separated from the rocket. This was followed five minutes later by the separation of the second satellite SLOSHSAT, an experimental payload that will study how fluids behave in space. XTAR-EUR will provide military and governmental communications for Spain and the United States. The satellite weighed 3.6 tonnes and was built in the United States by Space Systems/Loral.
A first attempt to launch an upgraded Ariane-5 in December 2002 failed when the rocket veered off course and was destroyed by ground control. An inquiry board determined that a malfunction in the cooling system of the rocket’s Vulcain engine was to blame.
The upgraded version of Ariane-5 is capable of launching communication satellite payloads of up to 10 tonnes. The added capacity is essential to lower launch costs in an industry that has experienced a downturn, due to increased competition and shrinking demand for communications satellites.