Flight 113 was carried out by an Ariane 44L, the version of the European launcher with four liquid-propellant strap-on boosters. It used the 82nd Ariane 4 launcher out of 116 Ariane 4 launchers ordered to date from the European space industry.

The GE-5 telecommunications satellite will serve for the United States, while the AfriStar satellite will provide digital radio broadcasting services throughout Africa.

Following the 40th successful Ariane 4 launch in a row, and just one week after the successful launch of Ariane 5, Arianespace Chairman and CEO Jean-Marie Luton said, "That makes three successes in one month, two Ariane 4 rockets and one Ariane 5! Launch after launch, we are demonstrating our ability to give customers fast, flexible, reliable access to space. Since August 25th, we have carried out five launches in less than nine weeks. All our production and operational teams in Europe and French Guiana deserve a big round of applause!

"I would also like to thank our two customers this evening, Alcatel and Dornier, who entrusted us with the satellites for WorldSpace and GE Americom. For Arianespace, it is very satisfactory indeed to bring together in a single launch a new operator, serving the African continent, and a major operator from the United States, both working hand in hand with leading European manufacturers."

The GE-5 satellite was launched under a turnkey contract signed by Dornier Satellitensysteme of the German Daimler-Benz Aerospace group (DASA) with GE American Communications of the United States. Construction was handled by a European team led by Alcatel Space Industries of Cannes, France. Weighing 1,719 kg (3,782 lb) at liftoff, this satellite will be located at 79 degrees west, and will complete GE Americom's comprehensive coverage of the U.S.

AfriStar is the first of three WorldSpace digital radio broadcast satellites launched by Ariane rockets within the scope of a contract with Alcatel Space Industries, prime contractor and industrial architect for the WorldSpace system. Weighing 2,739 kg (6,026 lb) at liftoff and located at 21 degrees East, AfriStar will provide digital audio, text and image transmission services for Africa and the Middle East. The design life is over 15 years.

The next launch, Arianespace Flight 114, is scheduled for late November. An Ariane 42L will place into orbit the Satmex 5 telecommunications satellite for the private Mexican operator Satmex (Satellites Mexicanos S.A. de C.V.).

Following Flight 113, Arianespace's order book now stands at 37 satellites to be launched.

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Satellite Launch To Boost DTH In India
Calcutta, India (SPX) Dec 28, 2005
The successful launch Thursday of India's heaviest satellite from spaceport of Kourou in French Guyana may have boosted the country's space research efforts to yet another level, but it has also lifted the spirits of at least three Direct-To-Home televisions broadcasters, one of which has been waiting for years to launch its services in India.