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Ariane 5 Milestones
2018
October
October 19, 2018October 19, 2018
Europe’s begins its mission to Mercury with Ariane 5
BepiColombo, Europe’s first mission to the planet Mercury (in cooperation with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency),
is launched by Ariane 5 as the 23rd major scientific mission lofted by Arianespace since its creation. After a seven-year journey covering nearly nine billion kilometers, BepiColombo will arrive at Solar System’s smallest and least-explored planet.
Arianespace Flight VA243 is the 100th mission for Ariane 5, orbiting the Horizons 3e and Azerspace-2/Intelsat 38 satellite payloads. In 22 years of operations, Ariane 5 has carried a total of 207 satellites.
Flight VA243 also marked the 300th mission of Arianespace’s three-member launcher family, composed of Ariane 5, the medium-lift Soyuz and lightweight Vega.
Arianespace and its ArianeGroup parent company announce an order for the final 10 Ariane 5 launch vehicles, representing a total value of more than one billion euros for the European space industry.
This order’s size aligns with production of the next-generation Ariane 6 version.
Arianespace’s Flight VA238 marks the 80th successful launch in a row of the heavy-lift Ariane 5. The mission orbits the Hellas Sat 3-Inmarsat S EAN “condosat” –
composed of two payloads for operators Hellas Sat and Inmarsat; as well as the GSAT-17 satellite for the Indian Space Research Organization.
Ariane 5 lift record & first all-electric propulsion satellite
The Ariane 5 heavy-lift launcher sets a new performance record on Flight VA237, carrying a total payload of 10,865 kg. to a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) and besting its previous record by more than 100 kg.
The net liftoff mass for the two satellites lofted was 9,969 kg. The successful launch, the 79th one in a row for the Ariane 5, successfully delivered the ViaSat-2 and EUTELSAT 172B telecommunications satellites to GTO; the EUTELSAT 172B is the first all-electric propulsion satellite to be delivered by an Ariane 5.
Flight VA233 marks Ariane 5’s 75th success in a row – surpassing the 74 consecutive launch successes of its Ariane 4 predecessor.
The mission also is the heavy-lift vehicle’s first at the service of Europe’s Galileo program, orbiting four of the navigation satellites.
Ariane 5 completes its 74th successful mission in a row, equaling a performance record set by the predecessor Ariane 4.
This milestone Ariane 5 mission, designated Flight VA231, orbits the Sky Muster™ II satellite for Australian operator nbn (National Broadband Network) and the GSAT-18 satellite for the Indian space agency ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation).
The Ariane 5 ECA sets a payload lift record to geostationary transfer orbit, lofting a total mass of 10,730 kg.
This mission carries two satellites for operators in the Americas and the Asia-Pacific region: EchoStar XVIII for the operator DISH Network L.L.C; and BRIsat for the Indonesian bank PT. Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk.
On Ariane 5’s 70th success in a row, the launcher orbits Intelsat 29e.
It marks the 56th mission performed for Intelsat, continuing a partnership of more than 30 years.
The heavy-lift Ariane 5 workhorse orbits a record payload on Flight VA219,
successfully placing the European Space Agency’s final Automated Transfer Vehicle – with a mass of more than 20 metric tons at liftoff – into a circular orbit. This launch also marks the 60th consecutive “mission accomplished” for Ariane 5 since 2003.
Arianespace performs the 250th launch with its complete launcher family of Vega, Soyuz and Ariane-series vehicles.
This milestone Ariane 5 liftoff (Flight VA217) successfully orbits ABS-2 for global satellite operator ABS and the French-Italian Athena-Fidus spacecraft.
Arianespace signs the contract for 18 additional Ariane 5 ECA launchers with Astrium, following an agreement concluded earlier in the year for long-lead items on these vehicles.
This latest batch will be available for missions starting in 2017.
Eighteen more Ariane 5 ECA launchers are set to begin production, following an initial agreement between Arianespace and prime contractor Astrium –
covering early production activities and long-lead items valued at more than 400 million euros. This is in addition to the 35 heavy-lift vehicles (PB batch) ordered in 2009.
Ariane 5 orbits the first satellite for Es’hailSat, the Qatar Satellite Company – EUTELSAT 25B/Es’hail 1 – which is co-operated with Eutelsat Communications and joins the India’s GSAT-7
on the 57th consecutive successful mission for this heavy-lift workhorse.
The 70th flight of Arianespace’s Ariane 5 heavy-lift workhorse carries Europe’s largest ever telecommunications satellite,
Alphasat, along with India’s INSAT-3D meteorological spacecraft on a mission to geostationary transfer orbit.
In lofting the fourth Automated Transfer Vehicle, Ariane 5 orbits its heaviest payload –
delivering a total lift performance of 20,252 kg. to low Earth orbit.
Ariane 5 establishes a new record payload lift performance of 10,317 kg. to geostationary transfer orbit with its 2013 year-opening flight from the Spaceport,
which deploys the Amazonas 3 and Azerspace/Africasat-1a telecommunications satellites.
Arianespace’s seventh and final Ariane 5 flight of 2012 deploys the Skynet 5D and Mexsat Bicentenario satellites into orbit.
Lifting off from the Spaceport in French Guiana, this mission marks Ariane 5's 53rd consecutive success.
Ariane 5 marks its 50th consecutive mission success, further validating the heavy-lift launcher’s reliability and performance.
This milestone mission carries the Intelsat 20 and HYLAS 2 satellites, and delivers a world-record performance of nearly 10.2 metric tons total mass launched to geostationary transfer orbit.
With the JCSAT-13 and VINASAT-2 payloads orbited by Ariane 5 on Flight VA206, Arianespace surpasses its 300th mark for the total number of primary satellite passengers launched from French Guiana.
This overall total does not include some 50 additional auxiliary or secondary payloads lofted on Arianespace flights.
Arianespace’s third resupply mission with an Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) for the International Space Station
delivers a record payload lift performance of over 20,000 kg.
Parallel flight preparations are underway for the first time with all three members of Arianespace’s full launcher family operating from French Guiana –
consisting of the heavy-lift Ariane 5, medium Soyuz and lightweight Vega. This activity at the Spaceport includes build-up of the Ariane 5 that will orbit Europe’s third Automated Transfer Vehicle in early 2012 for servicing of the International Space Station.
Arianespace’s launcher family is a reality as operational versions of the Ariane 5, Vega and Soyuz are present for the first time in French Guiana,
positioned for upcoming missions. A heavy-lift Ariane 5 for the VA205 mission with Europe’s third Automated Transfer Vehicle arrives from Europe aboard the MN Colibri sea-going ship, along with the no. 1 Vega for this lightweight launcher’s VV01 qualification flight in January 2012. They join a Soyuz that is being prepared for Arianespace’s second launch of the medium-lift vehicle from the Spaceport, which is scheduled for December 16, 2011.
Ariane 5 sets a new heavyweight record, delivering a total lift performance of 10,050 kg. to geostationary transfer orbit while lofting satellites for two new Arianespace customers:
Al Yah Satellite Communications Company’s Yahsat Y1A spacecraft; and Intelsat New Dawn, which was built for a joint venture of Intelsat and Convergence Partners.
On the historic 200th flight of an Ariane family vehicle, an Ariane 5 ES version successfully orbits Europe’s second Automated Transfer Vehicle –
which is the heaviest payload ever lofted by Arianespace’s workhorse launcher.
Ariane 5 logs its 40th consecutive success, orbiting INTELSAT 17 for the international satellite operator Intelsat and HYLAS 1
for the European operator Avanti Communications in a mission from the Spaceport.
Arabsat-5A is lofted by Ariane 5 as the seventh Arabsat satellite orbited by Arianespace since 1985;
COMS becomes a new Ariane-launched payload for South Korea.
The 50th Ariane 5 is launched from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana
with a mixed civilian and military telecommunications satellite payload – SES ASTRA's ASTRA 3B and Germany's COMSATBw-2.
