Ariane 5 – Largest-ever telecommunications satellite launched   Liftoff of the Ariane 5 ECA of flight V189 from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana on its mission to place the heaviest and most powerful telecommunications satellite ever launched, TerreStar 1, into geostationary transfer orbit. Flight timeline     Liftoff of the Ariane 5 ECA of flight V189 from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana on its mission to place the heaviest and most powerful telecommunications satellite ever launched, TerreStar 1, into geostationary transfer orbit. Release date: 9 September 2009