Arab and Indian satellites fly aboard Ariane 5

A European Ariane 5 rocket, burning a cryogenic mixture of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, thundered into the sky over French Guiana at dusk Tuesday with two communications relay satellites to serve the Arab world and India. Like clockwork, the rocket lit its liquid-fueled Vulcain 2 main engine at exactly 2134 GMT (4:34 p.m. EST), ran the engine through a super-fast computer health check, then commanded its two strap-on solid motors to fire seven seconds later. The collective power of the main engine and twin boosters pushed the Ariane 5 off its launch pad at Europe’s space center in Kourou, French Guiana, a space city on the northern coastline of South America. More

(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Nov 11)