New date set for French spy satellite launch

A French spy satellite is now scheduled for launch from French Guiana on Thursday after the countdown was stopped hours before a first attempt on December 9 when a technical problem was detected, space officials said.

"Corrective actions on the liquid helium subsystem on Ariane 5's cryogenic main stage are now being completed, enabling Arianespace to set a new date for the launch of the HELIOS 2B satellite" the Arianespace rocket launch company said in a statement.

The rocket is now set to blast off at 1.26 p.m. (4:26 p.m. British time) on Thursday from the European Space Agency launch site in Kourou, French Guiana, on the northeast coast of South America.

The HELIOS 2B satellite was developed to help France prepare missions and assess threats worldwide, and to draw maps of uncharted zones in Afghanistan, Iraq, Chad and neighbouring Darfur in western Sudan.

The French defence ministry describes the satellite as an integral element of France's military intelligence arsenal.