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Ariane 5 Ends its Career Successfully
Published on 06 July 2023
After launching for the 117th and final time from Kourou on July 5 at 7 p.m., the European launcher, Ariane 5, placed two telecommunications satellites in orbit (Heinrich-Hertz-Satellit and Syracuse 4B), successfully ending its career.
The fifth launcher of the Ariane family born in 1979, Ariane 5 has given Europe independence in terms of heavy launching for 27 years.
After a career rich in iconic missions (Rosetta, BepiColombo and JUICE probes, the Herschell, Planck and James Webb space telescopes for example), it is time for Ariane 5 to “retire” and leave Ariane 6 to take over soon.
The 117th and final flight of Ariane 5, entitled VA261 ( because it was the 261st flight of all versions of the Ariane launcher) began with take-off on July 5 at 7 p.m. local time at the Guyana Space Centre.
By placing the German Heinrich-Hertz-Satellit and the French SYRACUSE 4B satellite in orbit around the Earth, the European launcher ended its career successfully.
The video below is a recording of the CNES live broadcast made for the occasion.
Recording of the CNES live broadcast made for the VA261 flight.
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