Tekom-1 launch set on Aug.12

Tekom-1 launch set on Aug.12

PARIS (AFP): The launch of a European Ariane rocket carrying an Indonesian telecommunications satellite has been rescheduled to Aug. 12 following an electrical hitch in one of the rocket's engines, French space officials said Thursday.

They said the overnight launch, which will mark a resumption of Europe's Ariane space program following a four-month suspension due to technical difficulties, will take place from the Kourou Space Center in Guiana between 2252 and 0252 GMT.

The Ariane-42P rocket carrying the 2.8-ton Telkom-1 satellite was initially to have lifted off on Wednesday from Guiana but the flight was postponed after an electrical problem was discovered in one of the rocket's engines which was being replaced.

Arianespace, the company that runs the program, plans eight launches before the end of the year to make up for lost time.