Two commercial satellites have been placed in orbit by an Ariane 5 rocket but have yet to reach their correct positions, Arianespace said Thursday, after mission control briefly lost contact with the craft in a rare malfunction. The usually reliable European space workhorse blasted off at 7.20 pm (2220 GMT) from the Kourou Space Centre in French Guiana carrying satellites for Luxembourg's SES and the United Arab Emirate's Yahsat in the first launch of the year for Arianespace.
For nearly 30 minutes mission controllers were left on tenterhooks when the rocket lost contact in what CEO Stephane Israel described as an "anomaly". But the team later received good news when the satellites chirped back into radio contact. "Both satellites were confirmed separated, acquired and they are on orbit," Arianespace said in an updated statement after the initial lift-off scare.
The company, which is headquartered in France, said a tracking station in Brazil was unable to locate the craft shortly after ignition of the rocket's upper stage. "This lack of telemetry lasted throughout the rest of powered flight," the statement said. But both satellites were later "communicating with their respective control centres".
But a source told AFP the satellites did not detach from the rocket in the correct place after the craft followed an "imperfect trajectory". Arianespace said they were currently "repositioning the satellites in the right place using their propulsion systems" adding that their current status was "reassuring after strong concerns".
Israel had earlier tweeted that the initial launch had been "flawless". The SES satellite, built by Airbus in the UK, weighs more than four tonnes and is carrying both telecoms equipment as well as a NASA platform designed to explore the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and space.
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