LAUNCH MISSION
Arianespace Ariane 44LP Solidaridad 1 & Meteosat 6
Launch Pad
Ariane Launch Area 2
Description
When the Mexican government planned the implementation of a second-generation satellite system, it turned again to Hughes Space and Communications Company. The new pair of spacecraft is called Solidaridad, signifying the way satellite telecommunications are uniting the urban and remote parts of the country with one another and the rest of the world. These replace the two Hughes-built Morelos satellites, the first of which was retired in 1994 after nine years' service. The Solidaridad contract was signed in May 1991. The spacecraft are operated by the government agency Telecomunicaciones de Mexico (Telecomm).
Ariane 44LP
Rocket Description
The Ariane 4 was an expendable space launch system, developed by the Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES), the French space agency, for the European Space Agency (ESA). It was manufactured by ArianeGroup and marketed by Arianespace. Since its first flight on 15 June 1988 until the final flight on 15 February 2003, it attained 113 successful launches out of 116 total launches.