Ariane 5 reaches orbit

The European Space Agency (ESA) reports on its official website that its Ariane 5 rocket was launched from French Guiana and has successfully reached orbit.

The flight is designated Ariane Flight 164. The Ariane 5 ECA booster is an upgraded design from the earlier Ariane 5G "Generic" configuration.

The launch marks the first operational flight for the upgraded Ariane booster, following a launch failure in 2002.