Astrium completes 54th consecutive successful launch of Ariane 5
Above:
An Ariane 5 launching from Kourou, French Guiana.
Photo: A Vergnaud © ESA-CNES-ARIANESPACE
The required performance for this, the 212th Ariane flight, was 10.317 kg in geostationary orbit, including 9.503 kg for the two satellites, a new record. The remaining weight was for Astrium’s SYLDA dual launch system and for the integration hardware.
The launch was performed by the Ariane 5 ECA launcher, which is capable of placing a dual payload into orbit, thus keeping operating costs down.
A continuous improvement programme led by Astrium in conjunction with the European Space Agency (ESA) has enhanced the launcher's performance, while at the same time pursuing cost savings, and enabling Ariane 5 to set a series of launch mass records into geostationary orbit, such as today's of more than 10.3 tonnes.
The prime contractor of the Ariane 5 European launcher since 2003, Astrium oversees an industrial network comprising more than 550 companies (over 20% of them SMEs) in 12 European countries, during which time the Ariane 5 has become the most reliable commercial launcher on the global market and has increased its geostationary orbit payload capacity by nearly one metric ton.
