[Satellite Today 04-17-09] Arianespace will make adjustments to its Ariane 5 ECA rocket to increase its payload capacity by 400 kilograms, enabling it to lift two large telecommunications satellites on a single launch vehicle, the company announced in an annual report released April 13.
    The company said the modifications, which will not include any hardware changes, should be complete by the end of 2010. Arianespace plans to extend the period of Ariane 5’s upper-stage engine burn before releasing satellites.
    The company will use its expanded space to fill more capacity through passenger pairing and has been booking a large number of satellites weighing less than 3,500 kilograms.