Ariane 5 is a European expendable heavy lift launch vehicle that first flew in 1996 and was operated by Arianespace from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana until its retirement in 2023, serving as the workhorse launcher for European institutional and commercial satellite payloads for over two decades. It carried numerous major scientific missions to orbit, including the James Webb Space Telescope in December 2021, before being succeeded by the Ariane 6.
Facts
Year1996 is the year of Ariane 5's first (failed) test flight, Flight 501; the first successful launch followed in 1997. SignificanceRetired European heavy-lift launch vehicle with an 82-launch consecutive success streak (2003-2017) 1 Manufacturer or BuilderAérospatiale, later ArianeGroup 1 Connections
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Ariane 5
WikipediaNotable launches section
Ariane 5's first test flight (Ariane 5 Flight 501) on 4 June 1996 failed, with the rocket self-destructing 37 seconds after launch because of a malfunction in the control software.
Lead section
The launch vehicle had a streak of 82 consecutive successful launches between 9 April 2003 and 12 December 2017.
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