May 17 1988
From The Space Library
A European Space Agency (ESA) Ariane 2 launch vehicle was successfully launched at 7:58 p.m. EDT from the Kourou Launch Center in French Guiana. The 162-foot, three-stage rocket successfully carried into orbit the 2,619-pound INTELSAT 5 commercial communications satellite which would eventually propel itself into a 22,300-mile geosynchronous orbit. This was the 22nd launch of the Ariane series and the second Ariane 2 launch in 1988. A total of eight Ariane 2 launches were scheduled for 1988. (SSR 1988 040A; AP, May 18/88; UPI, May 18/88)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
