KOUROU, French Guiana (Reuters) - Western Europe's 121st Ariane rocket put a communications satellite into orbit for the U.S. company Loral Skynet after a textbook launch early Saturday, the Arianespace launch company said.
The Ariane 44LP rocket, equipped with two liquid and two solid strap-on boosters, blasted off at 3.29 a.m. (0629 GMT) from the European Space Agency (ESA) launch center in Kourou, French Guiana, on the northeast coast of South America.
Space officials said the TELSTAR 7 satellite separated from the rocket 21 minutes after launch. The satellite will provide digital television transmissions for cable operators across the U.S., parts of Canada, Mexico and northern South America.
``Our new satellite will include premier cable tenants such as Time Warner, Viewers Choice, A&E Television Networks and the Playboy Channel,'' Skynet President Terry Hart said in a statement.
Loral officials declined to state the cost of TELSTAR 7. Specialists estimated the cost of the satellite, launch and insurance at over $250 million.
TELSTAR 7 weighed 3.8 metric tonnes (8,330 lb.) at launch and was built in Palo Alto, California by Space Systems/Loral. It is designed to operate in geostationary orbit for 15 years.
It was initially due to be launched aboard a U.S. Atlas rocket. Loral Space & Communications, Skynet's parent company, switched to Ariane when Atlas launches were halted because of technical problems.
Saturday's launch was the fifth Ariane mission this year and the 47th consecutive successful launch of an Ariane-4 rocket.
Paris-based Arianespace, which markets and launches the Ariane rockets, has been seriously hampered this year by satellite makers' failure to deliver their payloads on time.
The company had initally planned 13 launches for 1999, but specialists said it would complete fewer than 10. Arianespace said it had firm orders to launch 41 heavy satellites worth $3.3 billion.
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