Installed atop its mobile launch table, Ariane 5 is transferred to the ELA-3 launch zone from the Spaceport's Final Assembly Building on February 11.  Payload performance for this mission was approximately 8,510 kg., and it carried two primary payloads (HOT BIRD™ 10 and NSS-9), along with a pair of Spirale auxiliary micro-satellites.

Two propellant feed arms are shown extending from the mast to Ariane 5's cryogenic upper stage in this photo, which looks upward from the mobile launch table.  These arms retract at 5.5 seconds prior to the ignition of Ariane 5's cryogenic main stage, enabling the launch's liftoff 12 seconds later.

Ariane 5 offers a striking pose amid the wooded areas of French Guiana at Europe’s Spaceport. The heavy-lift vehicle is flanked by two large flame ducts that funnel exhaust from the launcher’s solid rocket boosters. 

Ariane 5 is shown in the ELA-3 launch zone at Europe’s Spaceport, ready for its on-time departure at 7:09 p.m.  This mission was the 43rd flight of an Ariane 5 and the 29th successful launch in a row.

The Spaceport’s ELA-3 launch zone is detailed in this image, with the Ariane 5 in position for liftoff.  Four towers surrounding the vehicle provide protection against lightning strikes.

Ariane 5 clears the launch tower as it ascends from French Guiana to begin another on-target mission with a multi-satellite payload.  It marked the start of a busy year for Arianespace launch activity, with six to eight Ariane 5 missions planned for 2009.

This dramatic image, taken from the Bois Diable (Devil Wood) lake at Kourou, shows the Ariane 5’s trajectory from the perspective of a fish-eye lens. Tonight’s launch deployed the HOT BIRD 10, NSS-9 and Spirale payloads during a mission lasting just under 34 minutes.