* Astronomy

Europe's most powerful rocket - the Ariane 5-ECA - has launched two satellites from French Guiana.
It lifted off from Kourou spaceport at 19:32 local time (22:32 GMT), March 11, 2006, carrying satellites for the Spanish defence ministry and a French telecoms company.
The launch marked the Ariane 5's first flight this year and only the fourth for the 780-tonne heavy-lift version.


Movie of launch (realplayer)

The ECA has the power to push 10,000kg of payload towards geostationary orbit, 36,000km above the Earth.
The first satellite released, 27 minutes into the flight, was the 3.7-tonne Spainsat, the first Spanish satellite dedicated to secure government communications.
It shared a ride with the 4.1-tonne Hot Bird 7A, the 21st satellite launched for the Paris-based telecoms operator Eutelsat Communications.
Eutelsat Communications said Hot Bird 7A would transmit more than 850 television channels and 550 radio stations to 110 million homes in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East for the next 15 years.

The March 9th Ariane 5 ECA Launch was postponed following a low pressure reading in the launcher's cryogenic upper stage during the final countdown. The cryogenic upper stage, filled with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants, is one of the key features of the Ariane 5 ECA rocket configuration.

Arianespace CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall said launch team members were unable to bring the pressure back to a level acceptable for lift-off, and the decision was made to stop the operations for further investigation. An update on the situation will be provided tomorrow morning.



Both the Ariane 5 and its dual-satellite payload consisting of the HOT BIRD 7A and SPAINSAT telecommunications spacecraft were in a safe condition on the ELA-3 launch pad at Europe's Spaceport.
Lift-off mass of the HOT BIRD 7A spacecraft is 4,100 kg, while SPAINSAT weighs in at approximately 3,680 kg.

Todays launch has been cancelled.

There has been no further information from Arianespace on the problem.

Still on hold