After 27 years of service, Europe’s venerable heavy lifter has rocketed into retirement. Europe’s workhorse rocket has flown for the final time.
The powerful Ariane 5 launched today (July 5) on the last-ever mission of its storied career, which began way back in 1996 and now includes 117 orbital liftoffs.
Today’s mission began at 6 p.m. EDT (2200 GMT), when the Ariane 5 launched from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. About 2.5 minutes into flight, the vehicle’s 103-foot tall (31.6 meters) solid rocket boosters separated from the core stage, whose single engine continued burning, carrying the mission’s two satellites skyward.
The core stage shut down around nine minutes after liftoff, and the upper stage separated and began its own burn. Approximately 30 minutes into flight, the first satellite, called Heinrich-Hertz, was released into geostationary transfer orbit high above Earth. About three minutes later, the second payload, known as Syracuse 4B, followed suit.
“Ariane 5 has perfectly finished its work,” Stéphane Israël, CEO of Arianespace, the France-based company that operated the rocket, said on today’s launch webcast shortly after that second deployment. “It’s really now a legendary launcher.”
Recent Comments