Ariane 5 ECA - VA223 - DirecTV 15 & SKY Mexico 1 Launch - May 27, 2015

An Ariane 5 rocket blasted off from its Jungle Launch Pad in French Guiana on Wednesday at 21:16 UTC, racing into clear skies over the Guiana Space Center - starting a fast trip across the Atlantic Ocean to carry two commercial communications satellites into orbit. Firing its twin boosters, the large core stage and the cryogenic upper stage, Ariane 5 reached the planned orbit for the release of the DirecTV 15 and SkyMexico-1 within 38 minutes of liftoff, marking another success for the European Workhorse launcher. In a secondary mission objective, the Upper Stage of Ariane 5 was to complete a long active ballistics phase after spacecraft separation for engineering assessments.

Video Credit: Arianespace