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Mr Faraj Elamari, CEO, RascomStar-QAF, Emmanuel Grave, Executive Vice President, Telecommunications with Thales Alenia Space and ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré at the Kourou Spaceport in French Guiana on August 4, just ahead of the launch of the Ariane 5 vehicle that will take the RASCOM-QAF1R and NILESAT 201 communications satellites into orbit
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4 August 2010, Kourou Spaceport, French Guiana
In the middle of my summer vacation I went to Kourou Spaceport in French Guiana to see the launch of the Ariane 5 vehicle which carried the RASCOM-QAF1R and NILESAT 201 communications satellites into orbit.
Although I've been closely involved with the satellite industry for the whole of my working career, it was the first time I was present at a launch, and it was a tremendous privilege to be on hand to witness the event first-hand.
The launch of these two systems represents another huge step forward in bridging the digital divide in Africa and the Middle-East, and reinforces the importance of making new technologies like broadband accessible to all the world’s people.
Lanceur en ZL - Vol 189 - Le 30/06/2009 The Ariane 5 launch vehicle leaving Kourou Spaceport in French Guiana, taking the new RASCOM-QAF1R and NILESAT 201 communications satellites into orbit.
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