Optus D1 launched successfully by Arianespace
At around 10am the Ariane 5 launch took place and around 20 minutes later the Optus D1 satellite was successfully deployed. For more details take a look at their mission update. The Optus D1 platform will shortly be replacing the ageing Optus B1 that is currently used by SkyTV. It will also provide the platform for the satellite version of the soon to be launched New Zealand Digital TV platform. Once Optus have confirmed that the satellite is operating correctly we will hopefully start to hear announcements from TVNZ and Canwest on their plans and schedule for new services.
Arianespace have now put out a press release with details of the launch.