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www.southgatearc.org
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British Skynet satellite launchedThe British military's Skynet 5 satellite has been launched into space from Kourou in French Guiana. The spacecraft is part of a £3.2bn system that will deliver secure, high-bandwidth communications for UK and allied forces. Sunday's lift-off came 24 hours after a first attempt was thwarted by a technical glitch in ground equipment. Skynet rode atop an Ariane 5-ECA rocket, which left the ground at 1903 local time (2203 GMT) "It was an incredibly nerve-racking but also an amazing experience to participate in the countdown and launch of an Ariane 5," said Patrick Wood, who has led the development of the Skynet spacecraft for manufacturer EADS Astrium. "We've already received telemetry from it. In fact, we had a ground station see it just 10 minutes after separation. We've even sent commands to Skynet. It's behaving itself perfectly," he told BBC News shortly after the launch.
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