The Ariane 5 launch took place on November 17 at 10:06 a.m. (local time) from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. Maroš Šefčovič, Vice President of the European Commission, and Elżbieta Bieńkowska, European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, were on hand for the launch.

Today’s launch was the eighth from the Guiana Space Center for Galileo and the first using an Ariane 5 launcher (ES version). Arianespace has now orbited 18 Galileo satellites, more than two-thirds of those that will eventually be deployed by the constellation, enabling Europe’s satellite navigation system to start services as early as the end of this year.

The launch was the ninth of the year for Arianespace and the sixth with Ariane 5, marking the 75th successful launch in a row for this heavy-lift launcher and surpassing the previous record set by Ariane 4. With today’s successful and doubly symbolic mission, Arianespace is proud to support Europe’s ambitious space objectives while also continuing to demonstrate its unrivaled reliability that is unparalleled in the market.

Ariane 5 sets an all-time record for successful launches in a row

Today’s mission marks the 75th successful launch in a row for Ariane 5, an all-time record for the Arianespace launcher family in French Guiana. Ariane 5 has performed 75 launches from 2003 to 2016, orbiting 149 payloads with a cumulative weight of more than 623 metric tons (about 1.4 million pounds), for both government and commercial customers.

This string of successes is further proof of the exceptional reliability and availability offered by Arianespace’s heavy launcher, while confirming its position as the most reliable launcher in the commercial market.

First Ariane 5 launch for Galileo

Today’s launch is the first Ariane 5 (ES version) mission for the Galileo program.

By successfully orbiting four more satellites for the Galileo constellation, Ariane 5 has demonstrated its flexibility and adaptability: the restartable EPS upper stage, and the new dispenser specially developed by Airbus Safran Launchers to hold the four satellites under the launcher’s fairing and release them in pairs, both operating flawlessly.

Arianespace will subsequently deploy the next eight satellites in the constellation, now under construction by OHB in Bremen, Germany, with two more Ariane 5 launches in the second half of 2017 and in early 2018.

Guaranteeing independent access to space for Europe

Following successful Soyuz launches in 2016 for the Copernicus program (VS14) and Galileo (VS15), today’s launch was the third of the year by Arianespace for the European Commission and ESA. These two European institutions recently strongly reaffirmed their commitment to European launchers:

• On October 26, the European Union unveiled its long-term space strategy with a strong reference to the upcoming Ariane 6 and Vega C launchers, as well as the associated launch infrastructures.

• On November 9, ESA and Airbus Safran Launchers signed an agreement confirming the Ariane 6 program. The first flight of this new launcher is slated for 2020, paving the way for Arianespace to start marketing launches as early as the end of this year.

With nine more satellite launches in the order book managed within the scope of contracts conducted by ESA (one Sentinel-2B mission and two Galileo missions), the European Commission retains its position as Arianespace’s leading government customer.

Shortly after the announcement of the orbital injection of the four satellites, Stéphane Israël, Chairman and CEO of Arianespace, said: “Congratulations Europe! Four more Galileo satellites are now in orbit with our eighth launch for the constellation, also the third of the year for the European Commission and ESA. Arianespace is proud to guarantee independent access to space for Europe. Providing a highly complementary fit with Soyuz launcher from CSG, the Ariane 5 ES launcher is taking over responsibility for the deployment of Galileo, marking another step towards European independence in satellite navigation. I would like to thank the European Union, especially the European Commission’s DG Growth, as well as the European Space Agency, our direct customer for this launch, for continuing to entrust us with their satellites. Coming shortly after the publication of the European Union’s space strategy, we were very honored to welcome Vice President Šefčovič and Commissioner Bieńkowska to witness this launch.

“Arianespace today is celebrating the 75th successful Ariane 5 launch in a row, an all-time record for our launcher family in French Guiana. I would like to thank all of our partners who contributed to this historic achievement: the European Space Agency and member-States in the Ariane program; Airbus Safran Launchers, our industrial prime contractor and largest shareholder; and all companies contributing to the production of Ariane; CNES/CSG, our ground segment companies and all staff at the space center. And of course congratulations to everybody at Arianespace for this ninth successful launch of the year.”

About Arianespace

Arianespace uses space to make life better on Earth by providing launch services for all types of satellites into all orbits. It has orbited more than 540 satellites since 1980, using its family of three launchers, Ariane, Soyuz and Vega, from launch sites in French Guiana (South America) and Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Arianespace is headquartered in Evry, near Paris, and has a technical facility at the Guiana Space Center, Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, plus local offices in Washington, D.C., Tokyo and Singapore.