On Aug. 6, 2019, Arianespace used an Ariane 5 rocket to launch two new communications satellites into orbit on a rideshare mission: Intelsat 39 and the first European Data Relay Satellite, EDRS-C. See photos of the mission here!
An Ariane 5 rocket designated VA249 launches the Intelsat 39 and EDRS-C communications satellites into orbit on Aug. 6, 2019.
(Image credit: Arianespace)
A trail of smoke
A long-distance shot of the launch shows the Ariane 5 rocket leaving a trail of smoke as it takes to the skies.
(Image credit: Arianespace)
Up, up and away!
The Ariane 5 rocket rides a pillar of flames and smoke into the sky after lifting off from the Guiana Space Center.
(Image credit: Arianespace)
Ariane 5 profile
The Ariane 5 rocket completed a planned roll maneuver on its way to space. The roll began 17 seconds after liftoff and lasted 15 seconds.
(Image credit: Arianespace)
Booster separation
After the Ariane 5 rocket's two side boosters separated, they could be seen falling to Earth while the rocket's upper stage continued into orbit.
(Image credit: Arianespace)
Fairing jettisoned
The payload fairing that provided a protective shell for the two satellites during the launch was jettisoned 2 minutes and 21 seconds after liftoff. Here, you can see the fairing falling back to Earth in a screenshot from Arianespace's webcast of the mission.
(Image credit: Arianespace)
Rocket on a roll
The Ariane 5 rocket rolls out to launch zone ELA-3 at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, on Aug. 5, 2019.
(Image credit: Arianespace)
EDRS-C fuels up
The EDRS-C satellite is loaded with propellant at the Guiana Spaceport's payload preparation facility.
(Image credit: ESA)
Acoustic tests with EDRS-C
In Ottobrunn, Germany, the European Space Agency's laser satellite EDRS-C undergoes final testing at Airbus Defence & Space before being shipped to the launch site in Kourou, French Guiana.
(Image credit: Maxar Technologies)
Intelsat 39 tests at Maxar
Intelsat 39 undergoes testing at the Maxar Technologies manufacturing facility in Palo Alto, California, where it was built.
(Image credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace)
EDRS-C prepped for launch
EDRS-C, the second satellite to join the European Data Relay System (EDRS) constellation, is mated with its launch vehicle at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana.
(Image credit: Arianespace)
Intelsat 39 fuels up
Intelsat 39 is fueled inside the Guiana Spaceport's payload preparation facility.
(Image credit: Arianespace)
In the rocket fairing
The spacecraft fairing containing Intelsat 39 is ready for installation atop the Ariane 5 rocket.
(Image credit: Maxar Technologies)
Intelsat 39
An artist's impression of the Intelsat 39 communications satellite in orbit.
(Image credit: ESA)
EDRS-C
An artist's impression of the EDRS-C satellite in orbit.
Mission videos
Watch the launch replay!
Intelsat 39 & EDRS-C satellites explained
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Hanneke Weitering is a multimedia journalist in the Pacific Northwest reporting on the future of aviation at FutureFlight.aero and Aviation International News and was previously the Editor for Spaceflight and Astronomy news here at Space.com. As an editor with over 10 years of experience in science journalism she has previously written for Scholastic Classroom Magazines, MedPage Today and The Joint Institute for Computational Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. After studying physics at the University of Tennessee in her hometown of Knoxville, she earned her graduate degree in Science, Health and Environmental Reporting (SHERP) from New York University. Hanneke joined the Space.com team in 2016 as a staff writer and producer, covering topics including spaceflight and astronomy. She currently lives in Seattle, home of the Space Needle, with her cat and two snakes. In her spare time, Hanneke enjoys exploring the Rocky Mountains, basking in nature and looking for dark skies to gaze at the cosmos.
