Space Travel News  
Ariane 5 rockets puts Africa's first satellite into space

by Staff Writers
Kourou, French Guiana (AFP) Dec 21, 2007
An Ariane 5 rocket blasted off here on Friday to put into orbit the first African telecommunications satellite as well as another made by a US-Japanese joint venture, Arianespace said.

The rocket, the 36th launch of an Ariane 5 and the sixth this year, lifted off at 2142 GMT and successfully placed the satellites for the pan-African operator RascomStar-QAF and US-Japanese Horizons 2 Satellite LLC.

The pan-African satellite, weighing 3.2 tonnes, is the first from the continent to be put into space. Several African dignitaries witnessed the launch but Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, who was expected, was a no show.

The Horizons-2 satellite, weighing 2.3 tonnes, was manufactured by Satellite LLC, a joint venture between Intelsat of the US and Japanese firm JSAT.

Related Links
Launch Pad at Space-Travel.com



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


Sixth Ariane 5 Mission Of 2007 Set For December 20 Launch
Kourou, French Guiana (SPX) Dec 20, 2007
Arianespace's sixth mission with the workhorse Ariane 5 in 2007 has been given its go-ahead for liftoff on December 20, following the Launch Readiness Review at the Spaceport in French Guiana. This review is one of the final milestones before every Ariane flight, and it verifies the readiness of all mission elements - including the launcher, its payload, the infrastructure at Europe's Spaceport, and the network of ground tracking stations.







  • NASA To Begin Testing Of Engine That Will Power Ares Rockets
  • Constellation Services International And Space Systems Loral Team On NASA COTS Proposal
  • NASA Selects Prime Contractor For Ares I Rocket Avionics
  • ATK Test Fires Liquid Oxygen-Methane Rocket Engine In Vacuum

  • Ariane 5 rockets puts Africa's first satellite into space
  • Sixth Ariane 5 Mission Of 2007 Set For December 20 Launch
  • Lightning Protection For The Next Generation Spacecraft
  • HISPASAT Chooses Arianespace To Launch The Amazonas 2 Satellite

  • NASA eyes faulty gauge wires as source of shuttle problems
  • NASA aims for early January launch
  • NASA Targets Space Shuttle Atlantis Launch For January 10
  • NASA to test faulty shuttle gauges next week

  • SpaceX Completes Dragon Spacecraft Demonstration Systems Review For Berth At ISS
  • Whitson And Tani Complete The 100th Station Spacewalk
  • Astronauts hook up huge module to space station
  • Spacewalkers Preparing To Inspect SARJ, BGA On Tuesday

  • SPACEHAB Announces Successful ARCTUS Mid-Air Recovery Test
  • Russia To Launch Space Base For Missions To Moon And Mars After 2020
  • Final Preparations For First Human-Rated Spacecraft To Be Launched From Europe's Spaceport
  • Russia Soon To View Two Space Transport Projects

  • President Hu: China Joins Nations With Capability Of Deep Space Exploration
  • China's space ambitions key to nation's strength: Hu
  • Chang'e-1 Photographs Dark Side Of The Moon
  • China-Made Satellite Navigation System To Support Olympic Games

  • Honda's ASIMO robot gets smarter
  • Toyota's new robot can play the violin, help the aged
  • Humanoid teaches dentists to feel people's pain: researchers
  • Japan looks at everyday use of robots

  • Sulfur Dioxide May Have Helped Maintain A Warm Early Mars
  • Spirit Update: Soon To Find Winter Resting Place
  • The Closest Approach Of Mars In 2007
  • Rowan University Professor Seeing Red (Planet)

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright Space.TV Corporation. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space.TV Corp on any Web page published or hosted by Space.TV Corp. Privacy Statement