Ariane 5

Ariane 5

Ariane 5 flight VA-256 on the launch pad with the James Webb Space Telescope in December 2021
Function	Heavy-lift launch vehicle
Manufacturer	ArianeGroup
Country of origin	European multi-national[a]
Cost per launch	€150–200 million (2016)[1]
Size
Height	46–52 m (151–171 ft)
Diameter	5.4 m (18 ft)
Mass	777,000 kg (1,713,000 lb)[clarification needed]
Stages	2.5
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Altitude	260 km (160 mi) (circular)
Orbital inclination	51.6°
Mass	G: 16,000 kg (35,000 lb) ES: >20,000 kg (44,000 lb)[2]
Payload to GTO
Mass	G: 6,950 kg (15,320 lb) G+: 6,950 kg (15,320 lb) GS: 6,100 kg (13,400 lb) ECA: 10,865 kg (23,953 lb)[3]
Associated rockets
Family	Ariane
Comparable	Atlas V Delta IV Heavy Falcon 9 Block 5 H-IIB Long March 5 Proton-M GSLV Mark III
Launch history
Status	Retired
Launch sites	Guiana Space Centre, ELA-3
Total launches	117 (G: 16, G+: 3, GS: 6, ES: 8, ECA: 72, ECA+: 12)
Success(es)	112 (G: 13, G+: 3, GS: 6, ES: 8, ECA: 70, ECA+: 12)
Failure(s)	2 (G: 1, ECA: 1)
Partial failure(s)	3 (G: 2, ECA: 1)
First flight	G: 4 June 1996 G+: 2 March 2004 GS: 11 August 2005 ECA: 11 December 2002 ES: 9 March 2008 ECA+: 6 August 2019
Last flight	G: 27 September 2003 G+: 18 December 2004 GS: 18 December 2009 ES: 25 July 2018 ECA: 26 November 2019 ECA+: 5 July 2023
Type of passengers/cargo	XMM-Newton Envisat Rosetta ATV Herschel Planck Galileo James Webb Space Telescope
Boosters (G, G+) – EAP P238
No. boosters	2
Height	31.6 m (104 ft)
Diameter	3.06 m (10.0 ft)
Gross mass	270,000 kg (600,000 lb)
Maximum thrust	6,650 kN (1,490,000 lbf)
Total thrust	13,300 kN (3,000,000 lbf)
Burn time	130 seconds
Propellant	AP, Al, HTPB
Boosters (GS, ECA, ES) – EAP P241
No. boosters	2
Height	31.6 m (104 ft)
Diameter	3.06 m (10.0 ft)
Empty mass	33,000 kg (73,000 lb)
Gross mass	273,000 kg (602,000 lb)
Maximum thrust	7,080 kN (1,590,000 lbf)
Total thrust	14,160 kN (3,180,000 lbf)
Burn time	140 seconds
Propellant	AP, Al, HTPB
First stage (G, G+, GS) – EPC H158
Height	23.8 m (78 ft)
Diameter	5.4 m (18 ft)
Empty mass	12,200 kg (26,900 lb)
Gross mass	170,500 kg (375,900 lb)
Powered by	G/G+: 1 × Vulcain 1 GS: 1 × Vulcain 1B
Maximum thrust	vac: 1,015 kN (228,000 lbf)
Specific impulse	vac: 440 s (4.3 km/s)
Burn time	605 seconds
Propellant	LH2 / LOX
First stage (ECA, ES) – EPC H173
Height	23.8 m (78 ft)
Diameter	5.4 m (18 ft)
Empty mass	14,700 kg (32,400 lb)
Gross mass	184,700 kg (407,200 lb)
Powered by	1 × Vulcain 2
Maximum thrust	SL: 960 kN (220,000 lbf) vac: 1,390 kN (310,000 lbf)
Specific impulse	SL: 310 s (3.0 km/s) vac: 432 s (4.24 km/s)
Burn time	540 seconds
Propellant	LH2 / LOX
Second stage (G) – EPS L9.7
Height	3.4 m (11 ft)
Diameter	5.4 m (18 ft)
Empty mass	1,200 kg (2,600 lb)
Gross mass	10,900 kg (24,000 lb)
Powered by	1 × Aestus
Maximum thrust	27 kN (6,100 lbf)
Burn time	1,100 seconds
Propellant	MMH / N2O4
Second stage (G+, GS, ES) – EPS L10
Height	3.4 m (11 ft)
Diameter	5.4 m (18 ft)
Empty mass	1,200 kg (2,600 lb)
Gross mass	11,200 kg (24,700 lb)
Powered by	1 × Aestus
Maximum thrust	27 kN (6,100 lbf)
Burn time	1,170 seconds
Propellant	MMH / N2O4
Second stage (ECA, ECA+) – ESC
Height	4.711 m (15.46 ft)
Diameter	5.4 m (18 ft)
Empty mass	4,540 kg (10,010 lb)
Gross mass	19,440 kg (42,860 lb)
Powered by	1 × HM7B
Maximum thrust	67 kN (15,000 lbf)
Specific impulse	446 seconds
Burn time	945 seconds
Propellant	LH2 / LOX
[edit on Wikidata]

Ariane 5 is a retired European heavy-lift space launch vehicle operated by Arianespace for the European Space Agency (ESA). It was launched from the Guiana Space Centre (CSG) in French Guiana. It was used to deliver payloads into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), low Earth orbit (LEO) or further into space. The launch vehicle had a streak of 82 consecutive successful launches between 9 April 2003 and 12 December 2017. Since 2014,^[4] Ariane 6, a direct successor system, first launched in 2024.^[5]

The system was designed as an expendable launch vehicle by the Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES), the French government's space agency, in cooperation with various European partners. Despite not being a direct derivative of its predecessor launch vehicle program, it was classified as part of the Ariane rocket family. Aérospatiale, and later ArianeGroup, was the prime contractor for the manufacturing of the vehicles, leading a multi-country consortium of other European contractors. Ariane 5 was originally intended to launch the Hermes spacecraft, and thus it was rated for human space launches.

Since its first launch, Ariane 5 was refined in successive versions: "G", "G+", "GS", "ECA", and finally, "ES". The system had a commonly used dual-launch capability, where up to two large geostationary belt communication satellites can be mounted using a SYLDA (Système de Lancement Double Ariane, meaning "Ariane Double-Launch System") carrier system. Up to three, somewhat smaller, main satellites are possible depending on size using a SPELTRA (Structure Porteuse Externe Lancement Triple Ariane, which translates to "Ariane Triple-Launch External Carrier Structure"). Up to eight secondary payloads, usually small experiment packages or minisatellites, could be carried with an ASAP (Ariane Structure for Auxiliary Payloads) platform.

Following the launch of 15 August 2020, Arianespace signed the contracts for the last eight Ariane 5 launches, before it was succeeded by the new Ariane 6 launcher, according to Daniel Neuenschwander, director of space transportation at the ESA.^[6][5] Ariane 5 flew its final mission on 5 July 2023.^[7]

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