(Telecompaper) French company Arianespace has successfully launched the Arsat-1 satellite, owned by Argentine state-run company ArSat. The launch was launched by an Ariane 5 rocket on 16 October, from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. The Arsat-1 geostationary telecommunications satellite has been fully designed and manufactured in Argentina by local company Invap in Rio Negro province. The satellite will provide telephone and data transmission, internet access, IP telephony, and DTH services to users across Argentina and the Southern Cone.