Launch of European Ariane-5 Space Rocket From Kourou Postponed: Arianespace

The launch of Ariane-5 Flight VA221 is postponed due to unfavorable weather conditions over Kourou, French Guiana, the launch operator said.

MOSCOW, December 4 (Sputnik) — The launch of an Ariane-5 carrier rocket with two telecommunications satellites from the Kourou space center in French Guiana was postponed on Thursday due to poor weather, the launch operator said.

The launch of #Ariane5 Flight #VA221 is postponed due to unfavorable weather conditions over Kourou, French Guiana: http://t.co/SdMiwgL1ya

— Arianespace (@Arianespace) 4 декабря 2014

"The launch of Ariane-5 Flight VA221 is postponed due to unfavorable weather conditions over Kourou, French Guiana," the Arianespace launch service provider said in its Twitter blog.

Another launch date will be decided "depending on the evolution of the weather conditions in Kourou," the company added.

Another launch date for #Ariane5 Flight #VA221 will be decided depending on the evolution of the weather conditions in Kourou

— Arianespace (@Arianespace) 4 декабря 2014

Ariane 5 is operated as part of the Ariane program to deliver payloads into geostationary transfer orbit or low Earth orbit.

The payload of the Arianespace's sixth heavy-lift mission of 2014 comprises high-power multi-band US DirecTV-14 and India's GSAT-16 satellites.

Ten years and $ 7 billion have been spent on the development of Ariane- 5. To date, 62 successful launches have been carried out.