ESA, the European Space Agency, has been a dominant player in the commercial satellite launch market for several decades. The Ariane rocket family has evolved over the years to meet the demands of the market.
The Ariane 5 will soon be supplemented with two new launchers. The Vega rocket, currently under development, is designed to launch smaller payloads into orbit. ESA is currently preparing to launch Soyuz rockets from their French Guiana spaceport. Several Soyuz rockets have been purchased and a launch pad is under construction.
Left to right: Ariane 1, Ariane 2, Ariane 3, Ariane 40, Ariane 44P, Ariane 44LP, Ariane 44L, Ariane 5, Ariane 5 (Herschel and Planck), Vega, Soyuz, Human figure for scale (1.8m tall).
Ariane rockets are civilian operated, expendable launch vehicles. They are launched from a spaceport in French Guiana.
For over 30 years, Ariane rockets have been the mainstay of European space launch capabilities. The reliability and versatility of Ariane rockets has allowed them to become one of the worlds premier commercial satellite launchers.
Ariane 1 was first flown on 24 December 1979.
Eleven Ariane 1 rockets were launched from 1979 to 1986. Payloads included the Giotto space probe, launched on 2 July 1985. Giotto conducted a flyby of Halleys comet on 13 March 1986.
The first stage of the Ariane 1 rocket was propelled by four Viking rockets. The second stage used a single Viking rocket. Viking rockets are fueled with hypergolic propellants.
Photos of a Viking rocket engine on display at the Udvar-Hazy center. (Photos: Richard Kruse, 2008)
Ariane 2 and 3 featured a lengthened second stage. Ariane 3 also included two solid rocket motors to increase performance.
Ariane 3 first flew on 4 August 1984. The eleventh and final Ariane 3 was launched on 12 July 1989.
The Ariane 2 configuration first flew on 31 May 1986. A total of six Ariane 2 rockets were launched, with the last taking place on 2 April 1989.
Ariane 4 represented a substantial increase in capability over the Ariane 2 and 3 versions. A large number of improvements were incorporated in the new design, including stretching the first stage propellant tanks.
Ariane 4 performance could be tailored to specific payloads by adding liquid and solid strap-on boosters in several different configurations. A total of six configurations were available. An Ariane 4 without any strap-on boosters was given the designation Ariane 40. An Ariane 42L had two liquid boosters. A 42P had two solid boosters, while a 44LP had two solid and two liquid boosters.
The most powerful Ariane 4 configuration, with four liquid strap-on boosters, was known as an Ariane 44L.
The first Ariane 4 launch occurred on 15 June 1988.
Over 100 payloads, including a large number of communications satellites, were launched on Ariane 4 rockets. The last flight took place on 15 February 2003.
An Ariane 44P rocket launched the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO), on 17 November 1995.
(Illustration - left to right: Ariane 40, Ariane 44P, Ariane 44LP, Ariane 44L.)
The Ariane 5 first stage uses a single Vulcain rocket engine. The Vulcain uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as propellants. The first stage is supplemented with a pair of solid rocket boosters.
The second stage uses a single engine fueled with hypergolic propellants.
The first Ariane 5 rocket was launched on 4 June 1996. The rocket suffered control problems and had to be destroyed.
Despite problems with some of the early flights, the Ariane 5 has become a reliable launcher.
One high profile payload for the Ariane 5 is the European ATV spacecraft. The ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle) is designed to carry cargo and fuel to the International Space Station. The first ATV, known as Jules Verne, was launched on 9 March 2008. The ATV docked with the ISS in April of that year. After several months docked to the station, the ATV separated and re-entered Earths atmosphere. Additional ATVs are scheduled to resupply the space station periodically.
Several large astronomical observatories have been launched on Ariane 5. The XMM-Newton Telescope, a large x-ray observatory, was launched on 10 December 1999. The Herschel Telescope and the Planck Microwave Observatory were launched on the same rocket on 14 May 2009. The dual launch of Planck and Herschel used a longer then normal payload fairing to enclose the observatories (illustration at right).
The Vega launcher, currently under development, is designed to launch smaller payloads.
The first Vega launch may occur in 2010.
The European Space Agency has purchased a number of Russian Soyuz rockets. A launch pad is currently under construction at the spaceport in French Guiana.
The first Soyuz rocket launch from French Guiana could occur in 2010.
Images by Richard Kruse are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.