- 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
- 1st launch from Guiana Space Center in 2014
- 1st Ariane 5 launch in 2014
- 6th global space launch attempt in 2014
| Launch vehicle: | Ariane-5ECA |
| Launch vehicle ID: | VA-217 |
| Payload: | ABS2 & Athena-Fidus |
| Launch date: | 06 Feb 2014 |
| Launch site: | Ko, ELA-3 |
Ref.: #12 - update:09.02.14
