List of Ariane launches |
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1979–1989 · 1990–1999 · 2000–2009 · 2010–2019 · 2020–2029 |
This is a list of launches performed or scheduled to be performed by Ariane launch vehicles between 2020 and 2029. During this time, the Ariane 5 was retired in favour of the Ariane 6 rocket.
Source: Arianespace Press Kits [1]
Flight No. | Date Time (UTC) | Rocket type Serial No. | Launch site | Payload | Payload mass | Orbit | Customers | Launch outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
VA251 | 16 January 2020 21:05 | Ariane 5 ECA 5110 | Kourou ELA-3 | Eutelsat Konnect GSAT-30 | 6,976 kg | GTO | Eutelsat ISRO | Success |
Eutelsat communications satellite and ISRO communications satellite. | ||||||||
VA252 | 18 February 2020 22:18 | Ariane 5 ECA 5111 | Kourou ELA-3 | JCSAT-17 GEO-KOMPSAT 2B | 9,236 kg | GTO | SKY Perfect JSAT KARI | Success |
SKY Perfect JSAT communications satellite and KARI meteorological satellite. | ||||||||
VA253 | 15 August 2020 22:04 | Ariane 5 ECA 5112 | Kourou ELA-3 | Galaxy 30 MEV-2 BSAT-4b | 9,703 kg | GTO | Intelsat Northrop Grumman BSAT | Success |
Flight VA253 was planned to launch in June 2020. [2] However, launch campaign activities were significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. To prevent the spread in French Guiana and protect Centre Spatial Guyanais employees, all launch activities were suspended on 16 March 2020. [3] [4] [5] Operations for Vega flight VV16 and Ariane 5 flight VA253 could not resume until 28 April 2020. [6] [7] [8] VA253 activities were listed among the top priorities at the reopening of the Guiana Space Center on 11 May 2020. [9] The launch was rescheduled for end of July 2020 [7] [10] [11] to place the satellites into a geostationary transfer orbit from which they will eventually be placed into geostationary orbit through their own propulsion. The flight was again aborted on 28 July 2020, due to a "red" warning in the system, resulting from a sensor problem related to LH2 tank on the core stage. American satellite operator Intelsat and Japanese Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation (B-SAT) are the customers for Ariane flight VA253. [12] [13] Galaxy 30 is a communications satellite built by Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems (formerly Orbital ATK) on the GEOStar-2 platform for Intelsat. It has C-band, Ku-band, Ka-band payloads, as well as a WAAS payload for a mass of 3,325 kilograms (7,330 lb). [14] Built in satellite manufacturing facility in Dulles, Virginia, it will primarily serve video markets in North America. [15] As per Intelsat/Arianespace contract announced in January 2018, [16] Galaxy 30 would share the upper berth of the Ariane 5 ECA rocket with MEV-2, which is a Northrop Grumman second satellite servicing vehicle, identical to MEV-1. With a mass of 2,326 kilograms (5,128 lb), it would begin a five-year mission to extend the lifetime of Intelsat 10-02. [17] MEV-2 received FCC authorization on 25 March 2020. [18] BSAT-4b is the second communications satellite of the fourth generation B-SAT, built by SSL (company) on its SSL 1300 platform. It has 24 Ku-band transponders and mass of 3,520 kilograms (7,760 lb). [19] | ||||||||
Flight No. | Date Time (UTC) | Rocket type Serial No. | Launch site | Payload | Payload mass | Orbit | Customers | Launch outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
VA254 | 30 July 2021 21:00 | Ariane 5 ECA 5113 | Kourou ELA-3 | Eutelsat Quantum Star One D2 | 10,515 kg | GTO | Eutelsat Star One | Success |
Brazilian Satellite operator Embratel and European Eutelsat were customers on the VA254 flight. [20] Eutelsat Quantum is a European re-programmable telecommunications satellite equipped with Ku-band payload, developed in a public-private partnership between the European Space Agency (ESA), Eutelsat and Airbus Defence and Space. [17] It had a launch mass of approximately 3,461 kilograms (7,630 lb) and a design lifetime of 15 years. [21] Star One D2 is a telecommunications satellite equipped with C-, Ku-, Ka- and X-band payloads for high-speed telecommunications, television broadcast and fast broadband in South America, Mexico, Central America, and parts of the Atlantic Ocean. [14] It had a launch mass of approximately 6,190 kilograms (13,650 lb) and a design lifetime of 15 years. [21] The target orbit was a geosynchronous transfer orbit with an apogee altitude of 250 kilometres (160 mi) and a perigee altitude of 35,726 kilometres (22,199 mi), at an inclination of 3°. [21] The mission was planned to last 36 minutes and 24 seconds. [21] [lower-alpha 1] | ||||||||
VA255 | 24 October 2021 02:10 | Ariane 5 ECA 5115 | Kourou ELA-3 | SES-17 Syracuse 4A | 10,264 kg | GTO | SES S.A. DGA | Success |
SES S.A. communications satellite and Direction générale de l'armement military communications satellite. | ||||||||
VA256 | 25 December 2021 12:20 | Ariane 5 ECA 5114 | Kourou ELA-3 | James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) | 6,161.4 kg | Sun–Earth L2 | NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI | Success |
James Webb Space Telescope. |
Flight No. | Date Time (UTC) | Rocket type Serial No. | Launch site | Payload | Payload mass | Orbit | Customers | Launch outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
VA257 | 22 June 2022 21:50 | Ariane 5 ECA 5116 | Kourou ELA-3 | MEASAT-3d GSAT-24 | 9,829 kg | GTO | MEASAT NSIL / Tata Play | Success |
MEASAT communications satellite and NSIL communications satellite. | ||||||||
VA258 | 7 September 2022 21:45 | Ariane 5 ECA 5117 | Kourou ELA-3 | Eutelsat Konnect VHTS | 6,400 kg | GTO | Eutelsat | Success |
Eutelsat communications satellite. | ||||||||
VA259 | 13 December 2022 20:30 | Ariane 5 ECA 5118 | Kourou ELA-3 | Galaxy 35 Galaxy 36 MTG-I1 | 10,972 kg | GTO | Intelsat EUMETSAT | Success |
Intelsat communications satellite and EUMETSAT meteorological satellite. |
Flight No. | Date Time (UTC) | Rocket type Serial No. | Launch site | Payload | Payload mass | Orbit | Customers | Launch outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
VA260 | 14 April 2023 12:14 | Ariane 5 ECA 5120 | Kourou ELA-3 | Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) | 5,963 kg | Jovicentric | ESA | Success |
Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer. | ||||||||
VA-261 | 5 July 2023 22:00 | Ariane 5 ECA | Kourou ELA-3 | Syracuse 4B (Comsat-NG 2) [23] Heinrich Hertz (H2Sat) | 6950 kg [24] | GTO | DGA DLR | Success |
Ariane 5's last mission. |
Date Time (UTC) | Rocket type Serial No. | Payload | Orbit | Customers | Launch status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
April 2024 [25] | Ariane 62 | Multiple rideshare payloads [26] | LEO | PTS, TU Berlin, ArianeGroup, BarcelonaTech, NASA, TUKE, University of Lisbon | Planned |
2024 [27] | Ariane 62 | CSO-3 | SSO | CNES / DGA | Planned |
2024 [28] | Ariane 62 | Electra | GTO | SES S.A. / ESA | Planned |
2024 [29] | Ariane 62 | Galileo FOC FM 25, 26 | MEO | ESA | Planned |
2024 [29] | Ariane 62 | Galileo FOC FM 27, 28 | MEO | ESA | Planned |
2024 [29] [30] | Ariane 62 | Galileo FOC FM 29, 30 | MEO | ESA | Planned |
Q4 2024 [31] | Ariane 64 | MTG-S1 [32] | GTO | EUMETSAT | Planned |
2024 [33] | Ariane 62 | Galileo FOC FM 31, 32 | MEO | ESA | Planned |
2024 [34] | Ariane 6 | Galileo G2 1 | MEO | ESA | Planned |
2024 [35] [36] | Ariane 64 | Optus-11 | GTO | Optus | Planned |
2024 [37] [38] | Ariane 64 | Uhura-1 (Node-1) [39] | GTO | Skyloom | Planned |
2025 [33] | Ariane 62 | Galileo FOC FM 33, 34 | MEO | ESA | Planned |
2025 [40] | Ariane 64 | Intelsat-41, 44 | GTO | Intelsat | Planned |
Q2 2026 [31] | Ariane 64 [41] | MTG-I2 [42] | GTO | EUMETSAT | Planned |
H1 2026 [43] | Ariane 64 | Intelsat 45 | GTO | Intelsat | Planned |
October 2026 [44] [45] | Ariane 6 | Earth Return Orbiter | Areocentric | ESA | Planned |
Q4 2026 [46] | Ariane 64 | Multi-Launch Service (MLS) #1 rideshare mission | GTO | TBA | Planned |
2026 [47] | Ariane 62 [48] | PLATO | Sun–Earth L2 | ESA | Planned |
Q4 2027 [46] | Ariane 64 | MLS #2 rideshare mission | GTO | TBA | Planned |
2027 [49] [50] | Ariane 64 | Heracles EL3 | TLI | ESA | Planned |
Q4 2028 [46] | Ariane 64 | MLS #3 rideshare mission | GTO | TBA | Planned |
Q3 2029 [46] | Ariane 64 | MLS #4 rideshare mission | GTO | TBA | Planned |
2029 [51] | Ariane 62 | ARIEL, Comet Interceptor | Sun–Earth L2 | ESA | Planned |
2035 [52] | Ariane 64 [53] | Athena | Sun–Earth L2, Halo orbit | ESA | Planned |
TBD [54] | Ariane 64 | 18 launches of Project Kuiper (35–40 satellites) [55] | LEO | Kuiper Systems | Planned |
TBD [56] | Ariane 64 | ALINA | TLI | Planetary Transportation Systems | Planned |
Ariane 5 is a retired European heavy-lift space launch vehicle developed and operated by Arianespace for the European Space Agency (ESA). It was launched from the Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG) in French Guiana. It was used to deliver payloads into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), low Earth orbit (LEO) or further into space. The launch vehicle had a streak of 82 consecutive successful launches between 9 April 2003 and 12 December 2017. Since 2014, Ariane 6, a direct successor system, is in development.
Arianespace SA is a French company founded in 1980 as the world's first commercial launch service provider. It undertakes the operation and marketing of the Ariane programme. The company offers a number of different launch vehicles: the heavy-lift Ariane 5 for dual launches to geostationary transfer orbit, the Soyuz-2 as a medium-lift alternative, and the solid-fueled Vega for lighter payloads.
Ariane 2 was a European expendable space launch vehicle, operated by the European Space Agency (ESA) between 1986 and 1989 as part of Ariane family of rockets. The principal manufacturer for the Ariane 2 was Aérospatiale, while the lead agency for its development was the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the French government's space agency.
The Guiana Space Centre, also called Europe's Spaceport, is a European spaceport to the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana, a region of France in South America. Kourou is located approximately 310 mi (500 km) north of the equator at a latitude of 5°. In operation since 1968, it is a suitable location for a spaceport because of its equatorial location and open sea to the east.
Vega is an expendable launch system in use by Arianespace jointly developed by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the European Space Agency (ESA). Development began in 1998 and the first launch took place from the Centre Spatial Guyanais on 13 February 2012.
ELA-3, is a launch pad and associated facilities at the Centre Spatial Guyanais in French Guiana. ELA-3 was operated by Arianespace as part of the expendable launch system for Ariane 5 launch vehicles. As of July 2023, 117 launches have been carried out from it, the first of which occurred on 4 June 1996. The final launch occurred on 5 July 2023.
The Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation (B-SAT) is a Japanese corporation established in April 1993 to procure, manage and lease transponders on communications satellites. Its largest stockholder, owning 49.9%, is NHK, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation. In 1994, it was ranked by Space News as the world's 19th largest fixed satellite operator.
Galaxy 10R was an American communications satellite which was operated by PanAmSat, and later Intelsat. It was constructed by Hughes and is based on the HS-601HP satellite bus. Launch occurred on 25 January 2000, at 01:04. The launch was contracted by Arianespace, and used an Ariane 4 42L-3 carrier rocket flying from ELA-2 at the Guiana Space Centre.
Ariane 6 is a European expendable launch system under development since the early 2010s by ArianeGroup on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA). It replaces the Ariane 5, as part of the Ariane launch vehicle family. The stated motivation for Ariane 6 was to halve the cost compared to Ariane 5, and increase the capacity for the number of launches per year.
Soyuz at the Guiana Space Centre was a European Space Agency (ESA) programme for operating Soyuz-ST launch vehicles from Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG), providing medium-size launch capability for Arianespace to complement the light Vega and heavy-lift Ariane 5. The Soyuz vehicle was supplied by the Roscosmos with TsSKB-Progress and NPO Lavochkin, while additional components were supplied by Airbus, Thales Group and RUAG. Autor LV (ICBM) = NPO "Energia", Kaliningrad.
BSAT-2a, was a geostationary communications satellite operated by B-SAT which was designed and manufactured by Orbital Sciences Corporation on the STAR-1 platform. It was stationed on the 110° East orbital slot along its companion BSAT-2c from where they provided redundant high definition direct television broadcasting across Japan.
The JSAT constellation is a communication and broadcasting satellite constellation formerly operated by JSAT Corporation and currently by SKY Perfect JSAT Group. It has become the most important commercial constellation in Japan, and fifth in the world. It has practically amalgamated all private satellite operators in Japan, with only B-SAT left as a local competitor.
Intelsat 907 was a communications satellite operated by Intelsat.
ELA-4, is a launch pad and associated facilities at the Centre Spatial Guyanais in French Guiana located along the Route de l'Espace in the Roche Christine site, between ELA-3 and ELS launch facilities. The complex is composed of a launch pad with mobile gantry, an horizontal assembly building and a dedicated launch operations building. ELA-4 is operated by Arianespace as part of the Ariane 6 program. As of November 2022 the first launch is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2023.
This article documents expected notable spaceflight events during the year 2025.
Vega flight VV16, also called SSMS PoC Flight, was the 16th launch of the Vega rocket. The launch was also notable as it was the first Vega launch following the accident of the VV15 launch in July 2019 that caused the loss of FalconEye1 satellite.
BSAT-4b, is a geostationary communications satellite ordered by Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation and designed and manufactured by SSL of Maxar Technologies on the SSL 1300 platform. It is expected to be stationed on the 110.0° East orbital latitude for direct television broadcasting of 4K and 8K Ultra HD television resolutions.
The second launch will be for Galileo, which is not commercial.
"Ariane 6 is the guarantee of autonomous access to space for Europe," Roussel told POLITICO, while confirming tentative plans to carry out a maiden launch of the next-generation rocket by the close of next year, though the first full-scale commercial launch will only happen in 2024.