Ioonos

Turning a setback into a strength

The first European project, which involved France, Britain and Germany, was too complicated, too expensive, and suffered serious setbacks. Seven launches and seven failures discouraged everyone, except France, which launched the Ariane project in 1972. Under the direction of the European Space Agency, Ariane has seen increasing commercial success since 1979, the date of the first Ariane launch, and has resulted in a shift in the balance of power in the conquest of space.

Constant innovation

Ariane’s success stems from very careful consideration of the sector’s requirements and a constant technical adaptation of its engines. EADS Astrium, Ariane’s builder, steadily improved the design, the Ariane 5 launcher arriving in 1987 to crown the European range of launchers, in collaboration with the last, very effective generation of Ariane 4s. Weights at lift-off and power have gradually increased (Ariane 5 can put more than twenty tons into orbit" >low orbit) and reliability has constantly improved. Furthermore, with its SPELDA* cap, an external carrying structure for double launches, Ariane 4 and 5 can put two satellites into orbit just a few minutes apart: an impressive commercial advantage that reduces the cost per kilo of each launch.

News

Ariane 5 is very much at the centre of events in 2007, preparing to send the ATV, the future cargo of the international station and the European Columbus laboratory into orbit to join the ISS. 2008 should see the first launch of Vega, a launcher specially designed for reaching MEOs*, the medium earth orbits that are in increasing demand for constellations of communication satellites.