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The countdown of the Ariane 5 EC-A had been flawless but the rocket
failed to take off at the end of the countdown.
The cryogenic arms providing hydrogen and oxygen to the launcher
failed to operate properly, causing the countdown to be stopped,
the AFP news service quoted Arianespace CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall as
saying.
It will be several days before another launch attempt is made,
AFP reported.
The rocket was the first upgraded version of Europe's Ariane-5
rocket. It has a capacity to launch payloads of up to 10 tons into
geostationary transfer orbit. Previous versions of the rocket had
the maximum capacity of 6.8 tons.
The rocket was carrying Hot Bird 7, a communications satellite
for the Paris-based satellite operator Eutelsat, and Stentor, an
experimental satellite developed by the French Space Agency (CNES),
France Telecom and France's Defence Procurement Agency.
See earlier headlines:
Ariane
5 EC-A ready for Thursday launch
Ariane
5 launch targeted for 28 November
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