The 117th and final launch of Ariane 5 was a successful flight towards orbit to deliver two satellites from the French and German governments, marking a historical event for Arianespace. Its launch saw a smooth and flawless liftoff from Europe's Kourou, French Guiana spaceport, marking the last of the Ariane 5's public outing and retirement.
Arianespace has massive plans for the future of its space operations, centering on the Ariane 6 rocket to bring future space missions with its massive capacity and heavy-lift designation.
Ariane 5 117th Final Launch in Europe Brings 2 Satellites to Orbit
(Photo : Arianespace via Twitter)
Flight VA261, a.k.a. the final launch for the Ariane 5 rocket, launched from the French Guiana spaceport last July 5, 7:00 PM, and this marked a momentous setting for the company's bittersweet farewell to the spacecraft.
According to the company's latest release, the Ariane 5 rocket carried two satellites toward orbit, namely the Heinrich-Hertz-Satellit for the German government and SYRACUSE 4B for the French Ministry of Defence.
"This 117th and last Ariane 5 mission is emblematic in several respects. Ariane 5 has just deployed two telecommunications satellites, SYRACUSE 4B and Heinrich-Hertz-Satellit, for France and Germany, the first two contributors to the Ariane program," said Stéphane Israël, CEO of Arianespace.
Speaking of firsts, the HM7 upper stage which first flew in Ariane 1 also joined the recent Ariane 5 launch, both seeing its final space venture. This upper stage is an icon to Ariane launches as it helped power 228 missions in the past without fail.
Read Also: Europe's Final Ariane 5 Rocket Launch Delayed: Setback for European Space Efforts
Ariane 6 to Replace Ariane 5: An End of an Era
Ariane 5 is giving way to the latest spacecraft development of the company which is Ariane 6, and it would be accompanied by the re-ignitable Vinci engine for its future operations.
The latest Ariane 6 is set to bring different missions to space, now centering on different milestone tests and checks in the French Guiana to determine its readiness for carrying the Ariane 5's legacy and missions.
Arianespace's Space Operations
The plans to develop a next-generation rocket have been available since as much as a decade ago from Arianespace and the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop its new heavy-lift rocket. The company's development got the ESA's full support for creating the Ariane 6 rocket, and it was regarded before as its effort to catch-up to SpaceX.
Its Ariane program is still the most popular workhorse from the company, centering on its substantial payload capacity and power to bring its developments or partners' creations to orbit.
Arianespace also has the Soyuz rocket which has been in operation since 2005, best known for launching different ESA payloads, including the Galileo Sat Nav program.
The French space company has been in the game for a long time, with its Ariane platform being one of the most famous rockets in Europe and the world for all space launch needs. The Ariane 5 rocket launched its final mission and marked a historical event for the company, ESA, and the world-to soon debut its Ariane 6 for the future of its space launches.
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