The UK's Skynet 4E military communications satellite and the Arabsat 3A satellite were launched on board Ariane V116/44L from Kourou, French Guyana, on 26 February.
Matra Marconi Space built the Skynet 4E, and the first of the new generation Arabsat 3A communications spacecraft was built by Aerospatiale's satellite division, now part of Alcatel.
It has emerged that the Skynet 4D, launched by a Boeing Delta II in January 1998, suffered a payload transponder fault last year, resulting in a successful insurance claim for $17 million. The final Skynet satellite will also be launched by Arianespace in 2000.
The Skynet 4E launch was the 43rd consecutive successful Ariane 4 flight and the first of 13 planned by Arianespace this year - including possibly three by an Ariane 5. The first commercial Ariane 5 launch, 504, set for April-May, will carry the Eutelsat W4 and Telkom.
The ELA 3 Ariane 5 pad at Kourou will be closed down after the 504 flight to install support equipment for the vehicle's planned cryogenic ESC upper stage. Ariane 505, due for launch around September, will carry Worldspace's AsiaStar satellite.
· A Proton K lifted a Russian Raduga 1 military communications satellite into geostationary orbit on 28 February from Baikonur.
Source: Flight International
