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 The 109th Ariane rocket completed a textbook launch last week from
equatorial French Guiana, lifting a Taiwanese communications satellite into
orbit.
The Ariane 44P rocket with four strap-on boosters launched successfully from the European Space Agency center in Kourou, on the northeast coast of South America. The 7,100-pound ST-1 satellite onboard is jointly owned by Singapore Telecom and state-owned Chughwa Telecom of Taiwan and will provide telecommunications to mainland China, India and other areas of the Asia-Pacific Rim. Although the Asian economic crisis has impacted the satellite and telecommunications industry in the region, officials remain optimistic about the mission and for the regionís financial recovery. ěDemand for transponders on ST-1 is healthy despite the Asian economic crisis,î SingTel general manager Tong Mun Loo said before the launch. ěThe economic crisis in the region has affected service satellite operators, this is no secret Ö SingTel would like to turn this crisis into an opportunity.î The launch marked the fifth Ariane rocket launch this year and the 37th consecutive successful launch of an Ariane-4 rocket. The company is planning a third launch of its next generation Ariane-5 series rocket before the end of the year.
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