Ariane 5 lifts off from French Guiana
英语课
PARIS, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Heavy-load launcher Ariane 5, carrying two communication satellites GSAT-8 and ST-2, lifted off at around 22:38 p.m. Paris time (GMT 2038) on Friday from Europe' s Spaceport in French Guiana.
Built by Japan's Mitsubishi Electric Company, ST-2 will offer Ku-and C-band relay services across the Middle East, Central Asia, India and Southeast Asia to the ST-2 Satellite Ventures joint 1 company of Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (SingTel) and Taiwan' s Chunghwa Telecom Company Ltd..
With a weight around 5.1 tons at launch, ST-2 was separated first around 27 minutes after the lift-off. It has a designed life of 15 years and will function at 88 degree East.
The lighter 2 passenger GSAT-8, built by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), will serve to augment 3 India's Ku- band relay capabilities 4 and offer aircraft navigation assistance over Indian airspace and adjoining areas with its two-channel GAGAN system.
GSAT-8 was expected to be ejected off around 31 minutes into the flight and will be orbited at 55 degree East. Weighed about 3. 1 tons, it has a designed life span of at least 12 years.
Arianespace started its 2011 busy year for heavy-lift Ariane 5 with the milestone 5 launch of Europe's second Automated 6 Transfer Vehicle (ATV) on February 16.
The next launch of Ariane 5 planned to lift off two TV broadcast and telecommunications relay satellites: BSAT-3c/JCSAT- 110R for Japan's Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation (B-SAT) and SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation, and ASTRA 1N for Luxemburg-based SES company.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)
adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合
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vt.(使)增大，增加，增长，扩张
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n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力
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n.里程碑；划时代的事件
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