Ariane 5 rocket launches new European Meteosat satellite, two Intelsat comsats

A European Ariane 5 rocket fired off a launching stand Tuesday in tropical South America with the vanguard of a modernized series of weather satellites to improve storm forecasts for Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, and two Intelsat television broadcasting satellites to cover the United States, a heavyweight payload totaling more than 24,000 pounds (about 11 metric tons). After a smooth on-time countdown, the 185-foot-tall (56.4-meter) Ariane 5 lit its hydrogen-fueled, French-built Vulcain 2 engine when the countdown clock struck zero at 3:30 p.m. EST (2030 GMT) Tuesday. After the engine passed an automated health check, the rocket’s twin solid-fueled boosters ignited seven seconds later to propel the launcher off the pad at the Guiana Space Center on the northeastern coast of South America. More

(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 14)