In the end, the European space agency Esa wanted to prove once again how reliably it can actually bring satellites into orbit: almost exactly 27 years and one month after the first launch Ariane 5 lifted off for the last time. On Wednesday at midnight Central European Summer Time it was broadcast from the launch site in Kourou/French Guiana by the German communications satellites Heinrich Hertz (built by OHB) and the French military communications satellites Syracuse 4B (Airbus) into geostationary orbit. The last flight, of all things, was delayed by a good two weeks because tests with the booster disconnect device ran into problems and the weather didn’t cooperate. The last start went smoothly.
Esa is thus decommissioning one of the most successful commercial carrier rockets – and now, at least in this size class with a payload of up to 20 tons, has to do without its own access to space for about a year.
The Ariane 5 was often referred to as a “workhorse” because the rocket worked quite reliably for decades.
(Photo: JODY AMIET/AFP)
On the one hand there is the successor rocket Ariane 6, which still has to go through various tests, according to industry circles, will probably only be available in the summer of next year. This is all the more awkward for Esa because it hasn’t had one for a good year because of the Russian war against Ukraine Soyuz– Missiles can use more. In the midst of all the misery in December 2022 is also the first commercial launch of the new medium-sized rocket Vega-C with a payload of up to 3.3 tons failed, with Airbus losing two earth observation satellites. The reason was an engine failure. The Italian manufacturer Avio also had to report problems with new engine qualification tests last week, which is why Vega-C will probably not be able to fly again until 2024. The Esa now has two more vegaPrevious version rockets are available, one of which is expected to take off in late summer.
That the Esa the production of Ariane 5 had stopped prematurely a few years ago in order to get the successor rocket up and running quickly, is now taking revenge. After delays due to the pandemic and technical problems, the Europeans have run out of rockets, into which they have put billions of taxpayers’ money. As a result, Esa has already had to book several flights with US competitor Space-X. Only on July 1 is the Esa space telescope Euclid started from Cape Canaveral/Florida – on one Falcon 9. Next year, Space-X is also said to launch the Esa asteroid probe hera carry.
During the maiden flight, Ariane 5 went off course
The Esa had with the Ariane 5 has been a dependable workhorse for decades. Even if this was not foreseeable during the maiden flight on June 4, 1996, the first one came then Ariane 5 off course and self-destructed. However, most of the 117 flights that took off from the European launch site in Kourou/French Guiana with a total of around 240 satellites were then successful: in addition to two total failures, Arianespace had to report three “partial successes”. One of the recent highlights was the launch of the James-Webb– Nasa and Esa space telescopes in late 2021.
Ariane 5 had already been on the road for a long time when the Californian manufacturer Space-X started making its Falcon 9 to develop what has since become the most successful commercial launch vehicle. At about 235 Falcon-9-Missions since 2010 have “only” exploded two rockets, more than 200 missions have been successful in a row. Collecting the reusable boosters also worked mostly.
When ESA decided in 2014 to launch a new Ariane-Generation to reduce costs, this was obviously done quite unimpressed by the new US competition, which had not flown that much up to that point. Space-X’s initial tests of salvaging boosters did not result in the same for the Ariane 6 to try. This costs a good four billion euros, although it will be able to transport a little more than that in the future Ariane 5, and production is more automated and aimed at higher quantities. However, parts of the European rocket will only be able to be used several times in the medium term.
Now she has to Ariane 6 but first fly.