CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- An experimental communications satellite for the European Space Agency (ESA) and a Japanese direct broadcast television satellite are circling Earth in a useless orbit thanks to a botched Ariane 5 launch from South America on Thursday.
Estimated loss in hardware alone: $1 billion.
Arianespace chief Jean-Marie Luton revealed the bad news almost an hour after the 5:58 p.m. EDT (2158 GMT) launch from the Guiana Space Center, saying through a translator, "We did not obtain the desired orbits for the satellites" because of a "defect in the propellant on the last stage."
"We're doing all we can to try and recover the satellites and see what kind of operations are possible to rectify this," Luton said.
All indications during the 35-minute mission were that the launch was right on track. First the Artemis satellite for ESA was released and then the Japanese BSAT-2B spacecraft separated. News of spacecraft separation was greeted with applause and cheers.
At this point it is the Arianespace tradition for all senior managers involved with the flight to gather at a podium and address the invited guests gathered at the Jupiter control center near Kourou, French Guiana.
Instead, the launch team remained seated, as did the guests, while the managers stood close to each other.Views broadcast by Arianespace's satellite coverage of the launch showed deep concern on faces throughout the room, and as the delay in the post-launch celebration grew, it became clear to the Arianespace launch commentators -- who were not privy to the facts -- that something had gone wrong.
Appearing somber and in shock, Luton provided what little data they had and announced that a press briefing would be held in Kourou on Friday morning.
Describing the orbit the two satellites are in, Luton said that they missed the high point of the orbit by half. The intended low point, or perigee, was to have been 500 miles (800 kilometers) and the intended high point was to have been 22,300 miles (36,000 kilometers).
Instead, the Ariane 5 delivered the satellites into an orbit that was 372 miles (600 kilometers) by 10,870 miles (17,500 kilometers), Luton said.
Overall, Thursday's launch marked the tenth flight of the Ariane 5 and the seventh flight on a commercial satellite delivery mission.
The rocket has been reliable since failures during the first two flights in the program were corrected. Arianespace has been successful in marketing the booster, signing eight satellite delivery contracts so far this year.
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