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Ariane V ends 2016 Arianespace launch calendar.

Arianespace finished up their 2016 launch manifest Wednesday afternoon with the launch of two communications satellites. The VA-234 mission delivered the JCSAT-15 and StarOne D1 satellites to Geostationary Transfer Orbit after a successful liftoff at 3:30pm EST. The weather at the Kourou spaceport was clear enough to distinctively capture the Ariane V’s twin solid rocket boosters falling away, as seen above from the launch broadcast. Less than a minute later, onboard cameras captured the payload fairing jettisoning, exposing the two satellites to space.

Twenty-nine minutes after launch, StarOne D1 separated from the rocket’s upper stage. JCSAT-15 followed 14 minutes later, completing the launch phase of the rocket. VA-234 marked the 11th and final Arianespace mission in 2016, and the seventh Ariane V. Two Vega flights launched military reconnaissance and Earth observation satellites, and two Soyuz flights lofted Earth observation and navigation satellites. Watch the recorded launch broadcast here:

Ariane V launches two communications satellites, June 18, 2016.

 Flight VA 230 launch EchoStar XVIII and BRISat into Geostationary Transfer Orbit. The two spacecraft combined weighted more than 21,700 pounds, the largest commercial payload Ariane V has ever launched. 

Saturday’s flight marked the 72nd consecutive successful Ariane V flight, and the 230th of the rocket. EchoStar XVIII will support DirecTV access to their 14 million customers, as well as solidifies coverage for the growing Cuban market.

BRISat is the first satellite owned and operated by a financial institution, Bank Rakyat Indonesia, bringing secure banking connections to their more than 60 million customers in the Indonesian region.