Ariane 5 Milestones
2009
December

December 18, 2009 December 18, 2009

With Ariane 5’s on-target launch of the Helios 2B military observation satellite from Europe’s Spaceport, Arianespace’s heavy-lift workhorse marks 35 consecutive successful missions during seven years of operation.

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October

October 29, 2009 October 29, 2009

Dual-payload success

Ariane 5 launches the NSS-12 and THOR 6 satellites from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, scoring a 34th consecutive mission success for Arianespace’s commercial heavy-lift workhorse.

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October 1, 2009 October 1, 2009

Record mission pace

A mixed civilian/military telecom satellite payload – Amazonas 2 for Spain’s HISPASAT and COMSATBw-1 for the German armed forces – is successfully orbited by Ariane 5 on its fifth mission of 2009.

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August

August 21, 2009 August 21, 2009

Supporting Asia-Pacific region

Ariane 5 successfully lofts a pair of U.S.-built commercial telecommunications satellites for two key Asia-Pacific customers – JCSAT-12 and Optus D3 – on its fourth mission of 2009.

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July

July 1, 2009 July 1, 2009

Record-setting payload

Ariane 5 scores its 31st consecutive mission success with the launch of TerreStar-1, the largest telecommunications satellite ever orbited.

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May

May 14, 2009 May 14, 2009

Herschel and Planck

Ariane’s first payloads destined for the Sun-Earth system's second Lagrange point (L2) are successfully lofted by an Ariane 5. This flight – which Ariane 5’s 44th mission, and its 30th consecutive success – carries the European Space Agency’s Herschel space telescope and the Planck observatory.

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February

February 12, 2009 February 12, 2009

A strong start

Ariane 5's on-target year-opening mission orbits HOT BIRD™ 10, NSS-9 and two Spirale payloads, marking the heavy-lift vehicle's 29th consecutive success.

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January

January 30, 2009 January 30, 2009

Arianespace signs a contract with Astrium Space Transportation for the production of 35 Ariane 5 ECAs, bringing the total number of heavy-lift launch vehicles under production to 49.

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2008
December

December 20, 2008 December 20, 2008

Ariane 5 scores a dual success for Eutelsat, orbiting the HOT BIRD™ 9 and W2M satellites for this European-based telecommunications provider.

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August

August 14, 2008 August 14, 2008

Arianespace carries out its ninth Ariane 5 mission during a 12-month period, demonstrating the company’s ability to maintain its sustained flight rate with the workhorse heavy-lift vehicle. This flight carried the Superbird-7 and AMC-21 satellite payloads.

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June

June 12, 2008 June 12, 2008

Ariane 5’s 25th success

Arianespace performs its 25th consecutive Ariane 5 mission success, orbiting a dual satellite payload of Skynet 5C and Turksat 3A with an Ariane 5 ECA.

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March

March 9, 2008 March 9, 2008

ATV to ISS

Ariane 5 orbits its heaviest payload to date, placing the 19,000 kg.-Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) on its way to a rendezvous with the International Space Station.

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2007
November

November 14, 2007 November 14, 2007

Heavy-lift milestone

The Ariane 5 ECA launcher sets a new heavy-lift record, orbiting a total payload of more than 8,700 kg. with the Skynet 5B and Star One C1 satellites.

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August

August 14, 2007 August 14, 2007

First launch for Hughes

Arianespace performs its first launch for Hughes Network Systems, orbiting the SPACEWAY 3 satellite on a dual-payload Ariane 5 ECA mission with BSAT-3a.

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June

June 23, 2007 June 23, 2007

Ariane 5 production batch

Arianespace signs a preliminary order with Astrium for the production of 35 Ariane 5 launchers, which is in addition to the batch of 30 Ariane 5s ordered in 2004.

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2006
November

November 14, 2006 November 14, 2006

The Ariane 5 ECA launcher sets a new heavy-lift record, orbiting a total payload of more than 8,700 kg. with the Skynet 5B and Star One C1 satellites.

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August

August 14, 2006 August 14, 2006

Arianespace performs its first launch for Hughes Network Systems, orbiting the SPACEWAY 3 satellite on a dual-payload Ariane 5 ECA mission with BSAT-3a.

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June

June 23, 2006 June 23, 2006

Arianespace signs a preliminary order with Astrium for the production of 35 Ariane 5 launchers, which is in addition to the batch of 30 Ariane 5s ordered in 2004.

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2005
November

November 17, 2005 November 17, 2005

The heavy-lift Ariane 5 ECA boosts a record payload into orbit by lofting the SPACEWAY 2 high-definition direct broadcast satellite for American operator DIRECTV, and the TELKOM 2 communications satellite for Indonesian operator PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk. With a total mass of over 8,000 kg. injected into orbit, the SPACEWAY 2 and TELKOM 2 satellites represent the heaviest dual payload ever launched.

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February

February 12, 2005 February 12, 2005

The Ariane 5 ECA launcher successfully orbits the XTAR-EUR communications satellite and the Sloshsat scientific payload, validating the heavy-lift launcher's performance and accuracy.

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2004
May

May 10, 2004 May 10, 2004

An industry contract is signed for the manufacture of 30 Ariane 5 launchers, providing a production volume that will enable Arianespace to enhance its performance, ensure launch service continuity and maintain its competitiveness on the international launcher market. The 30-launcher batch will consist primarily of standardized Ariane 5 ECA vehicles, but also will include the Ariane 5 ES version for missions with the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV).

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2003
September

September 27, 2003 September 27, 2003

Ariane 5 carries its first triple-spacecraft payload on Flight 162. The mission successfully lofted the Indian Space Research Organisation's INSAT 3E telecommunications/video broadcast satellite, the e-BIRD broadband services platform for Europe’s Eutelsat and the SMART-1 lunar probe for the European Space Agency.

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2002
August

August 28, 2002 August 28, 2002

Flight 155 orbits telecom and weather satellites on Ariane 5's 13th launch, demonstrating the launcher's capability to pair up all types of satellites on a single mission. The Ariane 5's payload consisted of the Atlantic BirdTM 1 telecommunications satellite built by Alenia Spazio for EUTELSAT, and the MSG-1 weather satellite for the European Meteorological Satellite (EUMETSAT) organization.

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February

February 28, 2002 February 28, 2002

On Flight 145, an Ariane 5 places the European Space Agency's Envisat into a highly accurate Sun-synchronous orbit on a record-setting mission. The 8,000-kg. Envisat was the largest satellite ever built in Europe, the heaviest payload carried by an Ariane, and it used the longest fairing available for Ariane 5.

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2000
November

November 15, 2000 November 15, 2000

On a single mission, Ariane 5 lofts the PAS-1R and three auxiliary payloads on Flight 135, setting a new record by placing 6,313 kg. into orbit.

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June

June 7, 2000 June 7, 2000

The largest launch services contract in the history of Europe's space industry is signed by the European Space Agency with Arianespace for nine firm Ariane 5 flights to carry the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV).

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