科技英语新闻：Ariane 5 lifts off from French Guiana

PARIS, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Heavy-load launcher Ariane 5, carrying two communication satellites GSAT-8 and ST-2, lifted off at around 22:38 p.m. Paris time (GMT 2038) on Friday from Europe' s Spaceport in French Guiana.

Built by Japan's Mitsubishi Electric Company, ST-2 will offer Ku-and C-band relay services across the Middle East, Central Asia, India and Southeast Asia to the ST-2 Satellite Ventures joint company of Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (SingTel) and Taiwan' s Chunghwa Telecom Company Ltd..

With a weight around 5.1 tons at launch, ST-2 was separated first around 27 minutes after the lift-off. It has a designed life of 15 years and will function at 88 degree East.

The lighter passenger GSAT-8, built by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), will serve to augment India's Ku- band relay capabilities and offer aircraft navigation assistance over Indian airspace and adjoining areas with its two-channel GAGAN system.

GSAT-8 was expected to be ejected off around 31 minutes into the flight and will be orbited at 55 degree East. Weighed about 3. 1 tons, it has a designed life span of at least 12 years.

Arianespace started its 2011 busy year for heavy-lift Ariane 5 with the milestone launch of Europe's second Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) on February 16.

The next launch of Ariane 5 planned to lift off two TV broadcast and telecommunications relay satellites: BSAT-3c/JCSAT- 110R for Japan's Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation (B-SAT) and SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation, and ASTRA 1N for Luxemburg-based SES company.