One of the satellites was Skynet 5C (calm down, Terminator fans!), which will provide UK government and military users with secure communications.
The other was Turksat 3A, a communications and TV satellite that will serve Turkey, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia.
The satellites reached their transfer orbits approximately half an hour after liftoff, which occurred at 22:05 GMT on June 12.
The Ariane 5 ECA is capable of carrying payloads of up to 9.6 tonnes into geostationary transfer orbit. The combined weight of the two satellites launched last night was 7.7 tonnes; associated equipment took the total payload to 8.5 tonnes.
Scheduled for late June, the next Ariane flight will carry the ProtoStar 1 and BADR-6 satellites into orbit. The launcher will soon be moved to the Final Assembly Building.
Two more satellites boosted by Ariane 5
A successful Ariane 5 ECA launch has placed a pair of telecommunications satellites into orbit.
RECRUITMENT & RETENTION REPORT 2013
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Stephen Withers
Stephen Withers is one of Australia¹s most experienced IT journalists, having begun his career in the days of 8-bit 'microcomputers'. He covers the gamut from gadgets to enterprise systems. In previous lives he has been an academic, a systems programmer, an IT support manager, and an online services manager. Stephen holds an honours degree in Management Sciences, a PhD in Industrial and Business Studies, and is a senior member of the Australian Computer Society.
