Overview | Launch operations | Performance | Industrial team | Ariane 5 User's Manual | Milestones |

Launch services

Ariane 5 ECA technical data

• Typical length: 50.5 m.
• Typical liftoff mass: 780 tons
• Payload capacity: 10 metric tons to GTO; up to 20 metric tons to LEO
• Industrial prime contractor: EADS Astrium

Ariane 5 > Industrial team

Ariane 5 combines the efforts of a European industrial team with more than 25 years of experience in building and operating Ariane launch vehicles. The team has all of the design, development and production tools at its disposition to respond to the market's needs for commercial launches – ensuring that Arianespace remains no. 1 in this sector.

EADS’ Astrium business unit is the sole prime contractor for the Ariane 5 launcher. As a result, this company manages the totality of contracts covering launch vehicle production, and delivers a standardized launcher to Arianespace in French Guiana.

Arianespace is in charge of commercial launch service operations, and manages the Ariane 5’s production. The company acquires the launcher from the prime contractor, adapts it to customer mission requirements and carries out launch operations at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

For the Ariane 5’s processing flow at the Spaceport, Astrium performs the vehicle’s build-up in the Launcher Integration Building – assembling the cryogenic core stage with the solid rocket boosters, and installing the upper stage and vehicle equipment bay.  The Ariane 5 vehicle is then transferred to the Final Assembly Building, where Arianespace takes responsibility for payload integration, final checkout and launch from the ELA-3 launch complex.

	1. RUAG Space AG Switzerland Fairing 2. EADS Astrium ST France Dual launch structure
	3. EADS CASA Espacio Spain Adapters	RUAG Space AB Sweden Adapters
	4. EADS CASA Spain 3936 cone 5. EADS Astrium ST Germany Vehicle equipment bay 6. EADS Astrium ST Germany Upper stage 7. Snecma groupe SAFRAN France Engine of cryogenic upper stage 8. EADS CASA Spain Inter stage structure 9. MT Aerospace Germany Forward skirt of main cryogenic stage and solid propellant motor cases 10. EADS Astrium ST France Main cryogenic stage 11. EADS Astrium ST France Solid Rocket Boosters 12. Europropulsion France Solid rocket motor
	13. Avio Italy Solid rocket insulation	Regulus French Guiana Solid propellant
	14. SABCA Belgium Forward and rear skirts of boosters  15. Dutch Space Netherlands Main engine frame 16. Snecma – SAFRAN group France Cryogenic main stage engine, and nozzles for the solid rocket motors