"Tonight, Ariane-5 has demonstrated that it is the most powerful rocket in the world to geostationary transfer orbit," says Stephane Israël, the president of Arianespace. It comes after the successful launch of a state-of-the-art satellite into orbit, designed to allow all of France's armed forces across the globe to communicate swiftly and securely. After a first postponement of one day, the launch was delayed by another hour at the last minute. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES