Towed along dual rail tracks, an Ariane 5 rocket moved from an assembly
building to the launch pad in French Guiana on Wednesday for the European booster's first flight of the year.
Two communications satellites sit atop the 166-foot-tall rocket: ABS 2 for Asia Broadcast Satellite and
Athena-Fidus for the French and Italian governments.
Launch
216th Ariane rocket launch since 1979
72nd Ariane 5 launch since 1996
42nd Ariane 5 ECA launch since 2002
250th Arianespace launch since 1980
1st ABS satellite launched on Ariane
43rd Space Systems/Loral satellite launched on Ariane
