Ariane 5 carrying Herschel and Planck lifts off
At 15:12 CEST, at the beginning of a 55-minute launch window, the Herschel and Planck satellite pair lifted off on board an Ariane 5 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
The satellites are expected to separate from the rocket about half an hour after launch, and establish their first contact with Earth about 10 minutes after separation.
For more information on the critical events following launch, see:
