Europe has launched its most powerful rocket to date - the Ariane 5-ECA. The 50m-high (160ft) vehicle blasted off from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana at 2103 GMT, putting eight tonnes of satellite payload into orbit. It was the ECA's first flight following its disastrous maiden outing in 2002, when the rocket was destroyed as it veered out of control over the ocean. Launch company Arianespace believes the vehicle will be crucial in helping it maintain a strong market position. "This is the success we all waited for, and I thank all those who contributed," said Arianespace chief Jean-Yves Le Gall. "This launch erases the failure of December 2002." The ECA should substantially reduce the costs of lofting spacecraft, down from between $30-40,000 per kg to $15-20,000 per kg. The rocket can deliver several satellites at once, taking a maximum of 10 tonnes into a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). Saturday's mission, described as a qualification flight, orbited two satellites: the Spanish XTAR-EUR military communications payload and an experimental spacecraft, called SloshSat, which will study how fluids behave in orbit. Equipment to monitor and report back on the performance of the launch also took the ride into space. The Ariane 5-ECA is a beefed-up version of its predecessor - the Ariane 5-Generic, which can deliver about six tonnes to a GTO.
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