Tele-X was the first communications satellite serving the Nordic countries. It was launched with an Ariane 2 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana, on April 2, 1989. On January 16, 1998, its fuel was exhausted and it was moved into graveyard orbit. The project was managed and operated by the Swedish Space Corporation, but it was built by Aérospatiale and Saab Ericsson Space, based on the Spacebus 300 series.