PARIS (AP) -- An Ariane 4 rocket successfully placed a Canadian telecommunications satellite in orbit Tuesday after the 11th successful launch of the carrier this year.
The rocket took off just before 9 p.m. local time from its South American base in Kourou, French Guiana. The Anik F 1 satellite was placed in orbit 21 minutes and 46 seconds later.
Ariane 4 is the second most powerful in the series of unmanned European launchers operated by Arianespace, the 13-nation European Space Agency's commercial arm.
The launch had been delayed for 24 hours after the client asked for extra checks.
The Anik F 1 satellite weighed 4.8 tons, a record load for an Ariane 4 rocket. It was built by Boeing Satellite Systems for the Canadian telecommunications operator Telesat, a subsidiary of BCE Inc.
The satellite, which was placed in orbit above the Pacific Ocean, will transmit digital signals to North America, South America, Alaska, Hawaii and the Caribbean during a 15-year period.
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