Arianespace’s Legacy:
45 Years of Innovation and Success

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July 21

Final Mission for Ariane 5 (VA261)

Ariane 5 made a successful farewell by placing the Heinrich Hertz (Germany) and Syracuse 4B (France) satellites into orbit. This final 33-minute flight marked the end of an era for Ariane 5, Arianespace’s iconic launcher.

April 14

Journey to Jupiter (VA260)

The European Space Agency’s JUICE spacecraft was successfully placed on an escape trajectory, marking the first European mission to the Jovian system. Scheduled to arrive in 2031, JUICE will spend three years studying Jupiter’s icy moons - particularly Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto - to analyze their composition and search for potential signs of life.

July 13

Successful inaugural flight for Vega C

On July 13, at 10:13 am local time at Europe’s Spaceport, in French Guiana, the first Vega C, the new European launcher designed and manufactured by AVIO, was successfully launched under the supervision of ESA. Following the success of its inaugural flight, Vega C will now begin its operational phase, under the responsibility of Arianespace, with a target of at least four launches per year and a fast-growing backlog.

April 05

Amazon’s record-setting launch services agreement

Amazon’s record-setting launch services agreement
Ariane 6 will be used in 18 launches for Amazon’s Project Kuiper, performed during a period of three years from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. With this largest launch services contract ever signed by Arianespace, the company will play a significant role in deploying Amazon’s broadband constellation.

December 25

Ariane 5 orbits NASA’s Webb Space Telescope

In one of the most iconic space exploration launches ever performed by Ariane 5, the heavy-lift Arianespace launcher successfully lofts NASA’s Webb Space Telescope – sending the most powerful space observatory ever built on its way to study origins of the Universe. Ariane 5’s very precise injection places Webb on a highly accurate deep-space trajectory, conserving the telescope’s precious on-board propellent for a longer lifetime of discoveries.

September 14

1,000+ spacecraft launched

Arianespace surpasses the 1,000-mark in satellites launched with its 10th mission at the service of OneWeb. Lifting off from Baikonur Cosmodrome on Flight ST35, the medium-lift Soyuz vehicle delivered 34 more spacecraft to orbit for this global operator – bringing Arianespace’s all-time total to 1,021.

September 30

More than 700 spacecraft launched

Arianespace surpasses the 700-mark for spacecraft launched during its four decades of operation. This milestone occurred on the Vega Proof of Concept flight for Arianespace’s innovative Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS), delivering 50-plus nano-satellites and micro-satellites to Sun-synchronous orbits.

April 04

Initial O3b constellation in orbit

Arianespace completes the first phase of SES’ O3b constellation on a successful Soyuz launch from French Guiana – delivering the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th satellites into a circular orbit following separate four missions carrying the initial 16 spacecraft.

February 27

First launch of OneWeb satellites

First launch of OneWeb satellites
Arianespace supported global connectivity with launch of the initial six satellites in OneWeb’s constellation, which was developed to provide affordable high-speed internet access for users around the globe. The cluster of spacecraft was deployed into a circular low Earth orbit on Arianespace’s first Soyuz mission of 2019.

January 09

The final Ariane 5 order

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.

September 14

First Ariane 6 contract

Arianespace receives the first launch contract for its next-generation Ariane 6, covering two future missions that will orbit satellites for Europe’s Galileo constellation using Ariane 62 versions The contract is to be conducted by the European Space Agency (ESA) on behalf of the European Commission and European Union.

June 28

80th consecutive success for Ariane 5

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.

June 01

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.

November 17

A double Ariane 5 achievement

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.

April 19

30 years of success in Japan

30 years of success in Japan
Arianespace celebrates 30 years of partnership with Japanese operators and manufacturers during its annual Japan Week event in Tokyo.

June 25

OneWeb selects Arianespace

OneWeb announces its agreement for Arianespace’s role in deploying the OneWeb Constellation – involving 21 Soyuz launches, plus options for five additional Soyuz missions and three with the next-generation Ariane 6. The first Arianespace launch will take place in late 2017 and the full deployment will be completed by the end of 2019 – supporting the timely deployment for this global connectivity constellation.

June 16

Airbus Safran Launchers

Planned changes in Arianespace’s shareholding structure signal a major step forward in the refoundation of European launcher industry governance: Airbus Safran Launchers (ASL) reaches an agreement with the French State and the French CNES space agency to transfer CNES's stake in Arianespace. After the completion of all regulatory consultation and approval procedures, Airbus Safran Launchers in consequence plans to hold 74 percent of Arianespace's share capital.