Europe's Ariane 5 Rocket Lifts off for Final Time
The European Space Agency's Ariane 5 "workhorse" rocket marked its 117th and final mission on Thursday after 27 years of service.
The European Space Agency's Ariane 5 "workhorse" rocket marked its 117th and final mission on Thursday after 27 years of service.The European Space Agency said its Ariane 5 rocket successfully took off from French Guinea for the final time on Wednesday night.
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The rocket carried two military communications satellites, namely, Germany's Heinrich Hertz (H2Sat) and France's Syracuse 4b, into geostationary orbit.
The launch caps 27 years of service for Ariane 5. The rocket's arrival in 1996 allowed Europe to establish itself in the communications satellite market.
Notably, the Ariane 5 rocket successfully launched NASA's James Webb Space Telescope in December 2021.
End of an era
Ariane 5 is the ESA's "workhorse" rocket and one of the most reliable rockets, the agency describes on the website.
The 53-meter-tall rocket lauched from the ESA spaceport in Kourou, French Guinea, on South America's northeast cost.
Wednesday's lauch marked the 117th and final mission. It lifted off at 7:00 pm local time (2300 GMT), according to the live broadcast.
The launch was delayed twice as it was originally scheduled for June 16. But a technical problem the first time around, and bad weather the second, postponed the mission.
rm/rc (Reuters, AFP)
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 06, 2023 04:50 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).