A powerful Eutelsat commercial communications satellite launched Wednesday aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana.
bound for orbit on a mission that will last more than 15 years and provide broadband connectivity to rural households, ships, and aeroplane passengers across Europe.
The Eutelsat Konnect VHTS satellite was the only payload aboard the Ariane 5 rocket, which took off from the European-run Guiana Space Center on Wednesday.
The 180-foot-tall (55-meter) rocket lifted off from the ELA-3 launch zone at French Guiana's jungle spaceport at 5:45 p.m.
At launch, the new Eutelsat spacecraft weighed more than 7 tonnes (6.4 metric tonnes) and will provide Ka-band connectivity for European markets
The main body of the satellite is about 29 feet (8.8 metres) tall, about the height of a three-story building.
The Ariane 5 rocket lit its hydrogen-fueled Vulcain 2 main engine as the countdown clock reached zero, despite being a day late due to unfavourable upper level winds.