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Ariane 5
Ariane 5 was a European heavy-lift space launch vehicle operated by Arianespace for the European Space Agency (ESA). It was launched from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. It could send payloads into geostationary transfer orbit, low Earth orbit, or further into space. It had a great record of 82 successful launches in a row between April 2003 and December 2017.
The Ariane 5 was developed by the Centre National d'Études Spatiales, the French government's space agency, with help from various European partners. It was part of the Ariane rocket family. It was originally designed to launch the Hermes spacecraft and was rated for human space launches.
Over time, Ariane 5 had several versions: "G", "G+", "GS", "ECA", and "ES". One special feature was its ability to launch two large communication satellites at once using a system called SYLDA (Système de Lancement Double Ariane). It could also carry up to three smaller main satellites using SPELTRA and up to eight smaller experiment packages or minisatellites with an ASAP platform.
After its last launch on August 15, 2020, Ariane 5 flew until its final mission on July 5, 2023. It was then replaced by the new Ariane 6 launcher, which had its first flight in 2024.
Vehicle description
The Ariane 5 was a big rocket that carried heavy things into space. It had a main part called the EPC, which held liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen to power its engine. Two large solid rocket boosters on the sides gave extra push at launch.
The second stage sat on top of the main part and helped guide the things into their right places in space. The rocket was protected during launch by a fairing, which fell off once the rocket was high enough. The parts were built in Europe and then taken to French Guiana for the final putting together and launch.
Variants
| Variant | Description |
|---|---|
| G | The original version was dubbed Ariane 5G (Generic) and had a launch mass of 737 t (1,625,000 lb). Its payload capability to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) was 6,900 kg (15,200 lb) for a single satellite or 6,100 kg (13,400 lb) for dual launches. It flew 16 times with one failure and two partial failures. |
| G+ | The Ariane 5G+ had an improved EPS second stage, with a GTO capacity of 7,100 kg (15,700 lb) for a single payload or 6,300 kg (13,900 lb) for two. It flew three times in 2004, with no failures. |
| GS | At the time of the failure of the first Ariane 5ECA flight in 2002, all Ariane 5 launchers in production were ECA versions. Some of the ECA cores were modified to use the original Vulcain engine and tank volumes while the failure was investigated; these vehicles were designated Ariane 5GS. The GS used the improved EAP boosters of the ECA variant and the improved EPS of the G+ variant, but the increased mass of the modified ECA core compared to the G and G+ core resulted in slightly reduced payload capacity. Ariane 5GS could carry a single payload of 6,600 kg (14,600 lb) or a dual payload of 5,800 kg (12,800 lb) to GTO. The Ariane 5GS flew 6 times from 2005 to 2009 with no failures. |
| ECA | The Ariane 5ECA (Evolution Cryotechnique type A), first flown in 2002 but ending in failure, and first successfully flown in 2005, used an improved Vulcain 2 first-stage engine with a longer, more efficient nozzle with a more efficient flow cycle and denser propellant ratio. The new ratio required length modifications to the first-stage tanks. The EPS second stage was replaced by the ESC-A (Etage Supérieur Cryogénique-A), which had a dry weight of 4,540 kg (10,010 lb) and was powered by an HM-7B engine burning 14,900 kg (32,800 lb) of cryogenic propellant. The ESC-A used the liquid oxygen tank and lower structure from the Ariane 4's H10 third stage, mated to a new liquid hydrogen tank. Additionally, the EAP booster casings were lightened with new welds and carry more propellant. The Ariane 5ECA started with a GTO launch capacity of 9,100 kg (20,100 lb) for dual payloads or 9,600 kg (21,200 lb) for a single payload. Later batches: PB+ and PC, increased the max payload to GTO to 11,115 kg (24,504 lb). The Ariane 5 ECA flew 72 times from 2002 to 2019 with one failure and one partial failure. |
| ECA+ | The Ariane 5ECA+ (Evolution Cryotechnique type A+), first successfully flown in 2019, used an improved ESC-D (Etage Supérieur Cryogénique-D). |
| ES | The Ariane 5ES (Evolution Storable) had an estimated LEO launch capacity of 21,000 kg (46,000 lb). It included all the performance improvements of Ariane 5ECA core and boosters but replaced the ESC-A second stage with the restartable EPS used on Ariane 5GS variants. It was used to launch the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) into a 260 km (160 mi) circular low Earth orbit inclined at 51.6° and was used 3 times to launch 4 Galileo navigation satellites at a time directly into their operational orbit. The Ariane 5ES flew 8 times from 2008 to 2018 with no failures. |
| ME (cancelled) | The Ariane 5ME (Mid-life Evolution) was under development until December 2014 when funding was cut in favour of developing Ariane 6. Last activities for Ariane 5ME were completed at the end of 2015. Vinci upper stage engine, under development for the 5ME, transferred to Ariane 6. |
Launch pricing and market competition
As of November 2014, launching a midsize satellite in the lower position with the Ariane 5 cost about €50 million. This made it part of a busy market for launching satellites.
When a heavier satellite was launched in the upper position with another satellite, it cost more—around €90 million as of 2013. The total cost for launching both satellites together was about €150 million as of January 2015.
Cancelled plans for future developments
Ariane 5 ME
The Ariane 5 ME (Mid-life Evolution) was a planned upgrade to the Ariane 5 rocket. It was meant to be a temporary solution between the Ariane 5 and the new Ariane 6. The first launch was planned for 2018, but funding was stopped in 2014 to focus on creating the Ariane 6 instead.
The Ariane 5 ME would have used a new upper stage with more fuel and a powerful engine called Vinci. This engine could restart several times, which would allow for more complex missions. The rocket would also have a longer cover for the satellites and a new system to launch bigger satellites. It was expected to carry more weight into space than the older Ariane 5 models and reduce the cost per launch.
Development
Originally called Ariane 5 ECB, the development of Ariane 5 ME began in 2006 but was stopped in 2003 due to a failed launch and market changes. Work on the Vinci engine continued, and in 2008, funding was approved for the new upper stage. In 2009 and 2012, more money was added to continue development, with a goal to launch by mid-2018. However, in 2014, the decision was made to stop funding Ariane 5 ME and focus on the Ariane 6, which aimed to be more cost-effective and flexible.
Solid propellant stage
Work on the solid rocket motors from Ariane 5 was used in the Vega program. The Vega’s first stage engine, called P80, was a shorter version of Ariane 5’s EAP motor. The P80 used a lighter material for its casing and had a new nozzle design that improved performance. These improvements might have been used in future versions of Ariane, but the development shifted focus to the Ariane 6 instead.
Ariane 6
Main article: Ariane 6
The Ariane 6 was made to be a smaller and cheaper rocket than the Ariane 5. It could carry one satellite weighing up to 6,500 kg into space. The main goal was to save money on making and launching the rocket. By 2014, each Ariane 6 launch was planned to cost about €70 million, which is half the price of an Ariane 5 launch.
Making the Ariane 6 cost €3.6 billion. Its first launch was planned for July 16, 2020, but it successfully flew on July 9, 2024.
Notable launches
The Ariane 5 rocket had its first test flight on June 4, 1996, but it did not go as planned. The rocket had to stop early because of a problem. The second test flight on October 30, 1997, also had issues, but a later flight on October 21, 1998, was successful. The first commercial flight happened on December 10, 1999, carrying the XMM-Newton satellite.
Over the years, Ariane 5 made many important launches. It carried heavy satellites and helped set new records for how much weight it could send into space. One notable flight was on March 9, 2008, when it carried the first ATV spacecraft to the International Space Station. Later, on December 25, 2021, Ariane 5 launched the James Webb Space Telescope, which helped save fuel and extend the telescope's lifetime.
GTO payload weight records
Ariane 5 set several records for the heaviest payloads it could carry into space. In 2011, it carried over 10,000 kg (22,000 lb) in one flight. These records kept growing over the years.
VA241 anomaly
On January 25, 2018, an Ariane 5 flight had a problem after launching two satellites. The satellites were placed in the wrong position, but both were able to fix their paths and still finish their missions.
Main article: Ariane flight VA241
Launch history
The Ariane 5 rocket had 117 launches, and 112 were successful. It had a 95.7% success rate. From April 2003 to December 2017, it completed 83 missions without any problems. There was a partial failure in January 2018.
All launches took place from the Guiana Space Centre.
Further information: List of Ariane launches
Images
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