Ariane 5
European heavy-lift space launch vehicle (1996–2023)
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Key Takeaways
- Ariane 5 ( French: [aʁjan sɛ̃k] ) is a retired European heavy-lift space launch vehicle operated by Arianespace for the European Space Agency (ESA).
- It was used to deliver payloads into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), low Earth orbit (LEO) or further into space.
- In development since 2014, Ariane 6, a direct successor system was first launched in 2024.
- Despite not being a direct derivative of its predecessor launch vehicle program, it was classified as part of the Ariane rocket family.
- Ariane 5 was originally intended to launch the Hermes spacecraft, and thus it was rated for human space launches.
Ariane 5 (French: [aʁjan sɛ̃k]) is a retired European heavy-lift space launch vehicle operated by Arianespace for the European Space Agency (ESA). It was launched from the Guiana Space Centre (CSG) in French Guiana. It was used to deliver payloads into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), low Earth orbit (LEO) or further into space. The launch vehicle had a streak of 82 consecutive successful launches between 9 April 2003 and 12 December 2017. In development since 2014, Ariane 6, a direct successor system was first launched in 2024.
The system was designed as an expendable launch vehicle by the Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES), the French government's space agency, in cooperation with various European partners. Despite not being a direct derivative of its predecessor launch vehicle program, it was classified as part of the Ariane rocket family. Aérospatiale, and later ArianeGroup, was the prime contractor for the manufacturing of the vehicles, leading a multi-country consortium of other European contractors. Ariane 5 was originally intended to launch the Hermes spacecraft, and thus it was rated for human space launches.
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