Arianespace’s Ariane 5 rocket series had another successful flight (its 54th in a row) when an Ariane 5 ECA successfully launched two communications satellites. Amazonas 3 and Azersat 1 at 2136GMT on 7 February from the Kourou launch site in French Guiana. Built by Orbiral Sciences Corporation and using its Star 2.4c bus design, the 3275kg Azersat 1 is a communications satellite for the Government of Azerbaijan. Amazonas 3 was built by Space Systems Loral for Hispasat and uses a version of the LS-1300 bus design. The 6265kg commercial communications spacecraft will provide telecommunications services to the Americas. Arianespace notes that the flight carried the largest ever payload to date by an Ariane 5 launch vehicle.
