An Ariane 5 success for long-time partners maintains Arianespaces 2017 launch tempo.

The first Ariane 5 mission in 2017 and Arianespaces second launch this year orbited two relay satellites from French Guiana today to continue the companys long-term relationships with telecommunications operators and satellite manufacturers.

With an on-time liftoff from the Spaceports ELA-3 launch zone, the workhorse vehicle for Arianespace Flight VA235 placed SKY Brasil-1 and Telkom 3S into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) during a mission lasting just under 40 minutes.

Tonights Ariane 5 served two satellite operators with whom Arianespace enjoys strong relationships, said Stéphane Israël, the Chairman and CEO of Arianespace. SKY Brasil-1 is the 10th satellite launched by Arianespace for AT&T/DirecTV, representing 50 percent of all AT&T/DirecTV satellites in operation today, while all of Telkom Indonesia satellites in operation today have been launched by Arianespace.