Arianespace confirms Soyuz lift-off with medium-lift launcher

Soyuz lifts off on Arianespace's fifth Spaceport flight with the medium-lift launcher on Tuesday, the European leading aerospace company Ariane announced Wednesday in a statement. For the fifth Soyuz launch from the Guiana Space Center, Arianespace will orbit the first four satellites in the O3b constellation, according to the statement released on Wednesday. Soyuz will deploy its multi-passenger payload during a flight lasting approximately 2 hours and 22 minutes. Operating from a medium-Earth altitude, the four O3b Networks spacecraft will deliver telecommunications and Internet services to Asia, Africa, South America, Australia and the Middle East, combining the global reach of satellite coverage with the speed of a fiber-optic network. Using the constellation of satellites to be launched by Arianespace, O3b Networks' strategy is to provide billions of consumers and businesses in nearly 180 countries with low-cost, high-speed, low latency Internet and mobile connectivity.