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KOUROU, French Guiana -- On Thursday, January 25, 2018 Europe’s flagship Ariane 5 launch vehicle flew its first mission in 2018 when the rocket orbited the SES-14 and Al Yah 3 communications satellites. Ariane 5 is slated to take to the skies from Ariane Launch Complex No. 3 (ELA 3) located in Kourou, French Guiana. The 45-minute launch window opened at 22:20 GMT (5:20 p.m. EST). The mission did not go off without a hitch, with a telemetry dropout causing loss of contact between the rocket and ground controllers about 9 minutes and 28 seconds after liftoff. Contact was restored approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes after launch. Photo courtesy: Jeremy Beck
