The launch another success for Atlas -- almost 50 in a row masked the more interesting international intrigue that surrounded this particular event.

First, consider the players: a Spanish satellite operated by Hispasat, built by the French-based aerospace giant Alcatel Space, and lofted into orbit by an Atlas 2-AS a rocket built by the home team and launched in the United States.

But the competition is fierce on both sides of the ocean. Just last month an Ariane rocket launched from South America carried the Galaxy 10-R satellite into orbit for a U.S. company -- a mission that was contracted with Arianespace, the European launch company, to replace a satellite lost in the explosion of a U.S.-made Delta 3 in August 1998.

With essentially a European satellite built by a European company, you might wonder why Hispasat didnt pick Arianespace, just as it did for the launch of its Hispasat 1-A in 1992 and Hispasat 1-B in 1993. Both satellites were sent into space atop Ariane 4 rockets.

"It's a good question," said Pedro Pinto, general director of programs for Hispasat.

The answer: availability and price.

"Which is the most available launcher in accordance with the demands of our satellite?" is the question Pinto said his company asked of both the Atlas and Ariane rocket programs.

Once Hispasat settled on Atlas, the company began negotiations: "We were in conversation with Atlas and we obtained, I think, a good economical condition -- their company to our company -- so this is the main reason why we selected Atlas," Pinto said.

Hispasat 1-C is to orbit Earth over the equator, placed near the two other Hispasat satellites -- they will serve Spain, Portugal and portions of the European and American continents.

This new satellite is expected to last at least 15 years and has more communication capabilities than the previous two Hispasats combined, Pinto said.

More than a million direct television service subscribers in Spain and Portugal will benefit from this new satellite, as will some 14 million TV viewers of Spanish-speaking programming beamed to the Western hemisphere, most of whom live in South America.

This launch marked the 19th time this version of the Atlas rocket has flown without incident. In fact, the Atlas 2 family of launch vehicles continues to have a 100 percent success rate, said International Launch Services (ILS) spokeswoman Julie Andrews.

ILS markets the launch services of Lockheed Martins Atlas rocket and Krunichev of Russias Proton rocket.

The next launch from Cape Canaveral is scheduled for Tuesday, when a Boeing commercial Delta 2 rocket is to carry a set of four Globalstar cellular phone communications satellites into orbit. The launch window extends from 3:54 p.m. to 4:24 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

The next Atlas launch is targeted for March 20, when an Atlas 2-AS is to carry a National Reconnaissance Office satellite into orbit from Cape Canaveral.