Ariane 44LP carried two payloads: JCSAT-1, a Japanese communications satellite, and ESA's Hipparcos astrometry satellite. An apogee kick motor failure left Hipparcos stranded in a highly elliptical transfer orbit instead of geostationary orbit, but it still completed its star-mapping mission.
- Outcome
- Success
- Orbit
- Direct-GEO
- Geostationary orbit
- Payload to orbit
- 3.2 T
- Flight
- 3rd
- of 26 Ariane 44LP flights
- Date and time
- 6 March 1989, 23:29 UTC
- Rocket
- Ariane 44LP
- Builder
- Aérospatiale
- Launch site
- Ariane Launch Area 2, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
- Payload
- Communications
- International designator
- 1989-020
- Launches in 1989
- 20th of 102
See it in orbit
Space Atlas shows the satellites and rocket stages from this launch in 3D.
View satellites in Space Atlas