An Ariane 44LP successfully launched DirecTV 4S from Kourou, pad ELA-2 at 0035 UTC on November 27. Twenty-one minutes after launch the satellite was successfully placed into a geosynchronous transfer orbit of 199.8 km (107.9 nmi) by 35,972 km (19,423.3 nmi), inclined 7.00 degrees to the equator. The satellite will be co-located in geostationary orbit at 101°W with other DirecTV satellites. Over the next two weeks ground controllers will maneuver DirecTV 4S into a circular geostationary orbit. By the end of December the satellite should be operational.