Ariane 5 - V164 Launch Highlights
ESA TV Exchanges
The heaviest Ariane 5 launcher, designed to loft payloads of up to 10 tonnes to geostationary transfer orbit, was successfully launched on 12 February 2004. 30 minutes after a perfect lift-off from Europeís Space Port in French Guiana at 21:03 GMT, Ariane Flight 164 injected two payloads into the predicted transfer orbit.
Today's programme provides the highlights from the Arianespace live televised launch transmission, plus additional images: the launch recorded from the beach of Kourou, soundbites by ESA officials in English and Italian, and CU shots of the launcher on the launch pad, at sunset the day before launch.
More backgroud information can be found on: http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMDAXXEM4E_index_0.html

Ariane 5 ECA V164 Launch Highlights
10:00:00 Opening Titles
10:00:40 Countdown
10:00:56 It is 21.03 GMT on 12 February 2005 as Ariane Flight number 164, Europes most powerful launcher, is lifting off on its maiden flight. This is no ordinary Ariane 5 mission, but the maiden flight of the Ten-Ton Ariane 5, called ECA, delivering 30 minutes later-after an impeccable performance-its three payloads into geostationary transfer orbit. 10 :01 :29 Not only for the fact that this was a long-awaited maiden flight, the atmosphere is tense in mission control: 74 minutes earlier, just 59 seconds before scheduled engine ignition, the countdown had suddenly been interrupted, after a pressure monitoring device had shown an anomalous reading. Ther problem is quickly sorted out and when flight 164 finally is lifting off, all eyes are scotched on a large monitor wall with readings of flight data, whilst many ground controllers are at the same time listening into voice loops ? and officials and media representatives on an ou