In a swan song mission, Europe‘s Ariane 5 launched two satellites on Wednesday, ending a 27-year career in spaceflight.
At 7 p.m. local time, the heavy-lift rocket launched from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, sending French and German satellites into geostationary transfer orbits. Both payloads were delivered into orbit about 33 minutes after lift-off.
The launch marked Ariane 5’s 117th and final mission.
Europe’s only operational rocket began launching in 1996, following Ariane 1 through 4. The Ariane series design dates back to the 1960s, with several European counties teaming up to develop the launcher.
However, the European Space Agency notes that while the Ariane rockets were closely related, Ariane 5 was developed as an all-new launch system designed to carry larger payloads into space.
EUROPEAN SPACE TELESCOPE LAUNCHED FROM FLORIDA WILL STUDY MYSTERIES OF UNIVERSE EXPANSION
Ariane 5 most recently launched ESA’s Juice mission to Jupiter and the famed ESA, Canadian and NASA mission, the James Webb Space Telescope.
With its final launch, and without Ariane 5, Europe lacks a heavy lift launcher. Europe’s smaller rocket, the Vega C, is sidelined following three failures.
Ariane 6 is still in development, with the first flight planned for the fourth quarter of this year, according to the ESA.
In the meantime, ESA member countries will continue to purchase launches from private launch companies, including SpaceX.