01-07-09 Ariane 5 – Largest-ever telecommunications satellite launched

The world's biggest commercial telecommunications satellite has been put into orbit by an Ariane 5 rocket.The TerreStar-1 platform weighed just shy of seven tonnes at launch.Built for TerreStar Networks,the spacecraft will provide voice,messaging and data connections to the North American market.The satellite was so big it was the only passenger on Ariane which routinely carries double payloads from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.The heaviest commercial satellites in the past have been of the order of six-and-a-half-tonnes,or plus.Blast-off was delayed because of stormy weather but eventually took place at 1452 local time (1752 GMT)