The Ariane 5-ECA flight VA229 took off from the Guiana space Centre in French Guiana on 9 March 2015 at 0520 GMT. Aboard the rocket was a single communications satellite: Eutelsat 65 West A. The Ariane flight was announced for SOLE use of the six metric ton Eutelsat 65 West A satellite so that the spacecraft will be in position for the Olympic games without having to wait for a smaller satellite to be paired with it. This launch was originally ordered as part of a tranche of four in February 2013 for undisclosed payloads.
As its name suggests, the satellite will be operated from a position over 65 West in the Geostationary arc.
