Thursday, August 11 2005 17:49 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Paris: A European Ariane 5 rocket lifted the world's largest-ever communications satellite, a 6.5-tonne unit owned by a private Thai operator, into space today (August 11, 2005) and put it into geo-stationary orbit.

The Thaicom-4 satellite was placed high over Indonesia, half an hour after blasting off atop the rocket from the European Space Agency's base at Kourou in French Guiana, Paris-based launch company Arianespace said.

Originally scheduled for July 12, 2005, the flight had been postponed for technical reasons by Arianespace.

Built by Space Systems/Loral in California, the $ 400-million satellite is designed to provide Internet access and multimedia services for Asia, Australia and New Zealand for a period of at least 12 years.

It was the fourth Thaicom satellite launched by Arianespace for the private Thai company Shin Satellite Plc, formerly Shinawatra Satellite, which is owned by the family of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The Ariane 5 ECA rocket, which carried it aloft, is capable of lifting into space a payload of almost 10 tonnes.

Arianespace said, "The Thaicom satellite was the heaviest commercial satellite ever delivered to geo-synchronous orbit."