Ariane 5

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Ariane 5

Ariane 5 mock-up (Photo taken at Cité de l'espace)
Function	Heavy launch vehicle
Manufacturer	EADS Astrium for ESA and Arianespace
Country of origin	Europe
Size
Height	59 m (193 ft)
Diameter	5.4 m (17.7 ft)
Mass	777,000 kg (1,712,000 lb)
Stages	2
Capacity
Payload to LEO	G: 16,000 kg ES: 21,000 kg
Payload to GTO	G: 6,200 kg G+: 6,950 kg GS: 6,100 kg ECA: 10,500 kg
Launch history
Status	Active
Launch sites	ELA-3, Guiana Space Centre
Total launches	45 (G: 16, G+: 3, GS: 5) (ECA: 20, ES: 1)
Successes	41 (G: 13, G+: 3, GS: 5) (ECA: 19, ES: 1)
Failures	2 (G: 1, ECA: 1)
Partial failures	2 (G)
Maiden flight	G: 4 June 1996 G+: 2 March 2004 GS: 11 August 2005 ECA: 11 December 2002 ES: 9 March 2008
Last flight	G: 27 September 2003 G+: 18 December 2004
Notable payloads	Rosetta Automated Transfer Vehicle Herschel Space Observatory Planck
Boosters (Stage 0) - P230
No boosters	2
Engines	1 Solid
Thrust	6,470 kN (1,450,000 lbf)
Specific impulse	275 s
Burn time	129 seconds
Fuel	Solid
First stage (Ariane 5G)
Engines	1 Vulcain
Thrust	1,114 kN (250,000 lbf)
Specific impulse	430 s
Burn time	589 seconds
Fuel	LH2/LOX
First stage (Ariane 5 ECA)
Engines	1 Vulcain 2
Thrust	1,340 kN (301,000 lbf)
Specific impulse	431 s
Burn time	650 seconds
Fuel	LH2/LOX
Second stage (Ariane 5G)
Engines	1 Aestus
Thrust	27.4 kN (6,160 lbf)
Specific impulse	324 s
Burn time	1,100 seconds
Fuel	N2O4/MMH
Second stage (Ariane 5 ECA)
Engines	1 HM7-B
Thrust	64.7 kN (14,500 lbf)
Specific impulse	446 s
Burn time	960 seconds
Fuel	LH2/LOX

Ariane 5 is a European expendable launch system designed to deliver payloads into geostationary transfer orbit or low Earth orbit.

It is manufactured under the authority of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), with EADS Astrium Space Transportation (Astrium) as prime contractor, leading a consortium of sub-contractors. The rocket is operated and marketed by Arianespace as part of the Ariane programme. Astrium builds the rockets in Europe and Arianespace launches them from the Guiana Space Centre.

It succeeded Ariane 4, but does not derive from it directly. Its development took 10 years and cost $7 billion.^{[citation needed]} Ariane 5 has been refined since the first launch in successive versions, G, G+, GS, ECA, and most recently, ES. ESA originally designed Ariane 5 to launch the manned mini shuttle Hermes, and thus intended it to be "human rated" from the beginning. After ESA cancelled Hermes, the rocket became a purely robotic launcher.

Two satellites can be mounted using a SYLDA carrier (SYstème de Lancement Double Ariane). Three main satellites are possible depending on size using SPELTRA (Structure Porteuse Externe Lancement TRiple Ariane). Up to eight secondary payloads, usually small experiment packages or minisatellites, can be carried with an ASAP (Ariane Structure for Auxiliary Payloads) platform.

By mid 2007, Arianespace has ordered a total of 99 Ariane 5 launchers from Astrium. The first batch ordered in 1995 consisted of 14 launchers, while the second—P2—batch ordered in 1999 consisted of 20 launchers. A third—PA—batch consisting of 25 ECA and 5 ES launchers was ordered in 2004. The latest batch ordered in mid 2007 consist of another 35 ECA launchers.^[1] Through these orders, the Ariane 5 will be the workhorse of Arianespace at least through 2015.

Contents 1 Components 1.1 Cryogenic main stage 1.2 Solid boosters 1.3 Second stages 1.4 Fairing 2 Multiple upper stage burns 3 Variants 4 Future developments 4.1 Ariane 5 ECB development restarted 4.2 Solid propellant stage 5 Launch history 6 Ariane 5 flights 6.1 Upcoming flights 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Components

[edit] Cryogenic main stage

Ariane 5’s cryogenic H158 main stage (H173 for Ariane 5 ECA) is called the EPC (Étage Principal Cryotechnique - Cryotechnic Main Stage). It consists of a large tank 30.5 metres high with two compartments, one for 130 tonnes of liquid oxygen and one for 25 tonnes of liquid hydrogen, and a Vulcain engine at the base with thrust of 115 tonnes-force (1.13 meganewtons). This part of the first stage weighs about 15 tonnes when empty.

[edit] Solid boosters

Attached to the sides are two solid rocket boosters (SRBs or EAPs from the French Les Étages d’Accélérations à Poudre), P238 (P241 for Ariane 5 ECA), each weighing about 277 tonnes full. Each delivers a thrust of about 630 tonnes-force (6.2 MN). These SRBs are usually allowed to sink to the bottom of the ocean, but like the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters they can be recovered with parachutes, and this is occasionally done for post-flight analysis. (Unlike Space Shuttle SRBs Ariane 5 boosters are not reused.) The most recent attempt was for the first Ariane 5 ECA mission. One of the two boosters was successfully recovered and returned to the Guiana Space Center for analysis.^[2] Prior to that mission, the last such recovery and testing was done in 2003.

In March 2000 the nose cone of an Ariane 5 booster washed ashore on the South Texas coast, and was recovered by beachcombers.^[3]

[edit] Second stages

The second stage is on top of the main stage and below the payload. The Ariane 5G used the EPS (Étage à Propergols Stockables - Storable Propellant Stage), which is fueled by monomethylhydrazine (MMH) and nitrogen tetroxide, whereas the Ariane 5 ECA uses the ESC (Étage Supérieur Cryotechnique - Cryogenic Upper Stage), which is fueled by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.

[edit] Fairing

The payload and all upper stages are covered at launch by a fairing, which splits off once sufficient altitude has been reached (typically above 150 km). Ariane 5G+ used and Ariane 5 GS and ES use an improved EPS upper stage.

[edit] Multiple upper stage burns

The EPS upper stage is capable of re-ignition, which has been demonstrated twice. The first demonstration occurred during flight V26, which was launched on 5 October 2007. This was purely to test the engine, and occurred after the payloads had been deployed. The first operational use of restart capability as part of a mission, came on 9 March 2008, when two burns were made to deploy the first Automated Transfer Vehicle into a circular parking orbit. Following spacecraft separation, a third burn took place to de-orbit the upper stage.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Variants

• The original version is dubbed Ariane 5G (Generic) with a launch mass of 737 tonnes. Its payload capability to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) was initially specified as 5,970 kilograms (13,200 lb), but was increased after the qualification flights to 6,200 kilograms (14,000 lb).

• The Ariane 5G+ had an improved second stage, with a GTO capacity of 6,950 kilograms (15,300 lb) for a single payload. It flew three times in 2004.

• It was replaced in 2005 by the Ariane 5GS, with the same solid EAP as the Ariane 5 ECA and a modified first Stage with a Vulcain 1B engine. It can carry a single payload of 6,100 kilograms (13,000 lb) to GTO.

• The Ariane 5 ECA (Evolution Cryotechnique type A) has a GTO launch capacity of 10,000 kilograms (22,000 lb) for dual payloads or 10,500 kilograms (23,000 lb) for a single payload. This variant uses a new Vulcain 2 first-stage engine, and an ESC-A (Etage Supérieur Cryogénique-A) second stage, powered by an HM-7B engine, weighing 2,100 kilograms (4,600 lb) and carrying 14,000 kilograms (31,000 lb) of cryogenic propellant. The second stage was previously used as the third stage of Ariane 4; in ECA use, the tanks are modified to shorten stage length. The revised Vulcain has a longer, more efficient nozzle with more efficient flow cycle and denser propellant ratio. The new ratio demanded length modifications to the first-stage tanks. Also, the solid EAP casings have been lightened with new welds, and packed with more propellant. The ESC-A cryogenic second stage does not improve the performance to Low Earth orbit compared to Ariane 5G, and for this reason the Ariane 5 ECA will not be used to launch the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV).

• The Ariane 5 ES-ATV (Evolution Storable-) is used to launch the Automated Transfer Vehicle. It includes all the performance improvements of Ariane 5 ECA on EPC^[4] (Etage Principal Cryogénique - main stage) and EAP (Etage d'Accélération à Poudre - solid rocket booster) stages while the second stage is the EPS (Etage à Propergols Stockable) used on Ariane 5GS variants. It is estimated that the Ariane 5 ES-ATV can put up to 21,000 kilograms (46,000 lb) in LEO. The first such launch occurred at 04:03 GMT on 9 March 2008.

Comparable rockets: Delta IV - Atlas V - Chang Zheng 5 - GSLV Mk.III - Angara - Proton - Falcon 9 - H-IIB

[edit] Future developments

[edit] Ariane 5 ECB development restarted

Ariane 5 ECB was planned to have an ESC-B upper stage using a new Vinci expander cycle type engine. The GTO capacity was to increase to 12,000 kg, but ECB was put on hold due to budget cuts.

At an ESA conference (December 2005) in Berlin there was no decision to restart or cancel the program, meaning it is currently on hold. The Vinci engine, which is designed to power the Ariane 5 ECB upper stage, is still being developed, though at a slower pace. At the ESA's Council of Ministers 25-26 Nov. 2008 there was an agreement for the funding of a modernized second stage ( see "ESA's Council of Ministers decides the future of European space exploration". http://www.dlr.de/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-1/86_read-14434/. )

[edit] Solid propellant stage

Work on the Ariane 5 EAP motors have been continued in the Vega programme. The Vega 1st stage engine—the P80 engine—is a shorter derivation of the EAP. The P80 booster casing is made of filament wound graphite epoxy, much lighter than the current stainless steel casing. A new composite steerable nozzle has been developed while new thermal insulation material and a narrower throat improve the expansion ratio and subsequently the overall performance. Additionally, the nozzle now has electromechanical actuators which have replaced the heavier hydraulic ones used for thrust vector control.

These developments will probably later make their way back into the Ariane programme.^[5] The incorporation of the ESC-B with the improvements to the solid motor casing and an uprated Vulcain engine would deliver 27,000 kilograms (60,000 lb) to LEO. This would be developed for any lunar missions but the performance of such a design may not be possible if the higher Max-Q for the launch of this rocket poses a constraint on the mass delivered to orbit.^[6]

[edit] Launch history

This section may contain an inappropriate mixture of prose and timeline. Please help convert this timeline into prose or, if necessary, a list. (January 2009)

Ariane 5's first test flight (Ariane 5 Flight 501) on 4 June 1996 failed, with the rocket self-destructing 37 seconds after launch because of a malfunction in the control software, which was arguably one of the most expensive computer bugs in history. A data conversion from 64-bit floating point to 16-bit signed integer value had caused a processor trap (operand error). The floating point number had a value too large to be represented by a 16-bit signed integer. Efficiency considerations had led to the disabling of the software handler (in Ada code) for this trap, although other conversions of comparable variables in the code remained protected.

The second test flight (L502, on 30 October 1997) was a partial failure. The Vulcain nozzle caused a roll problem, leading to premature shutdown of the core stage. The upper stage operated successfully but could not reach the intended orbit.

A subsequent test flight (L503, on 21 October 1998) proved successful and the first commercial launch (L504) occurred on 10 December 1999 with the launch of the XMM-Newton X-ray observatory satellite.

Another partial failure occurred on 12 July 2001, with the delivery of two satellites into an incorrect orbit, at only half the height of the intended GTO. The ESA Artemis telecommunications satellite was able to reach its intended orbit on 31 January 2003, through the use of its experimental ion propulsion system.

The next launch did not occur until 1 March 2002, when the Envisat environmental satellite successfully reached an orbit 800 km above the Earth in the 11th launch. At 8111 kg, it was the heaviest single payload until the launch of the first ATV on March 9, 2008 (~9000 kg).

The first launch of the ECA variant on 11 December 2002 ended in failure when a main booster problem caused the rocket to veer off-course, forcing its self-destruction three minutes into the flight. Its payload of two communications satellites (Stentor and Hot Bird 7), valued at about EUR 630 million, was lost in the ocean. The fault was determined to have been caused by a leak in coolant pipes allowing the nozzle to overheat. After this failure, Arianespace SA delayed the expected January 2003 launch for the Rosetta mission to 26 February 2004, but this was again delayed to early March 2004 due to a minor fault in the foam that protects the cryogenic tanks on the Ariane 5.

On 27 September 2003 the last Ariane 5 G boosted three satellites (including the first European lunar probe, SMART-1), in Flight 162. On 18 July 2004 an Ariane 5 G+ boosted what was at the time the heaviest telecommunication satellite ever, Anik F2, weighing almost 6,000 kg.

The first successful launch of the Ariane 5 ECA took place on 12 February 2005. The payload consisted of the XTAR-EUR military communications satellite, a 'SLOSHSAT' small scientific satellite and a MaqSat B2 payload simulator. The launch had been originally scheduled for October 2004, but additional testing and the military requiring a launch at that time (of an Helios 2A observation satellite) delayed the attempt.

On 11 August 2005, the first Ariane 5GS (featuring the Ariane 5 ECA's improved solid motors) boosted Thaïcom-4/iPStar-1, the heaviest telecommunications satellite to date at 6,505 kg,^[7] into orbit.

On 16 November 2005, the third Ariane 5 ECA launch (the second successful ECA launch) took place. It carried a dual payload consisting of Spaceway-F2 for DirecTV and Telkom-2 for PT Telekomunikasi of Indonesia. This was the rocket's heaviest dual payload to date, at more than 8,000 kg.

On 11 March 2006, the fourth Ariane 5 ECA launch boosted another dual payload to orbit. This payload consisted of Hot Bird 7A for Eutelsat (a replacement for the Hot Bird 7 satellite lost in the first Ariane 5 ECA launch), and SPAINSAT, a Spanish government telecommunications satellite for HISDESAT.

On 27 May 2006, an Ariane 5 ECA rocket set a new commercial payload lifting record of 8.2 tonnes. The dual-payload consisted of the Thaicom 5 and Satmex 6 satellites.^[8]

On 4 May 2007 the Ariane 5 ECA set another new commercial record, lifting into transfer orbit the Astra 1L and Galaxy 17 communication satellites with a combined weight of 8.6 tonnes, and a total payload weight of 9.4 tonnes.^[9] This record was again broken by another Ariane 5 ECA, launching the Skynet 5B and Star One C1 satellites, on 11 November 2007. The total payload weight for this launch was 9,535 kg.^[10]

On 9 March 2008, the first Ariane 5 ES-ATV was launched to deliver the first ATV called Jules Verne to the International Space Station.

On 18 April 2008, an Ariane 5ECA launched Star One C-2, and Vinasat-1, Vietnam's first satellite.

On 20 December 2008, an Ariane 5ECA launched Hot Bird 9 and W2M, both communications satellites developed for Eutelsat.

On 12 February 2009, an Ariane 5ECA Launched Hot Bird 10 and NSS-9 Telecommunication satellites, along with two Spirale early warning satellites for the French government.

On 1 July 2009, an ariane 5 ECA launched TerreStar-1, the largest commercial telecommunication satellite ever built.

[edit] Ariane 5 flights

Date & Time (UTC)	Flight (Vol)	5G, 5G+, 5GS	ECA	ES	Serial number	Payload	Result	#
1996-06-04 12:34:06	V-89	5G			501	Cluster	Failure	1
1997-10-30 13:43:00	V-101	5G			502	MaqSat H & TEAMSAT, MaqSat B, YES	Partial failure	2
1998-10-21 16:37:21	V-112	5G			503	MaqSat 3, ARD	Success	3
1999-12-10 14:32:07	V-119	5G			504	XMM-Newton	Success	4
2000-03-21 23:28:19	V-128	5G			505	INSAT 3B, AsiaStar	Success	5
2000-09-14 22:54:07	V-130	5G			506	Astra 2B, GE 7	Success	6
2000-11-16 01:07:07	V-135	5G			507	PAS 1R, Amsat P3D, STRV 1C, STRV 1D	Success	7
2000-12-20 00:26:00	V-138	5G			508	Astra 2D, GE 8 (Aurora 3), LDREX	Success	8
2001-03-08 22:51:00	V-140	5G			509	Eurobird 1, BSat 2a	Success	9
2001-07-12 22:58:00	V-142	5G			510	Artemis, BSat 2b	Partial failure	10
2002-03-01 01:07:59	V-145	5G			511	Envisat	Success	11
2002-07-05 23:22:00	V-153	5G			512	Stellat 5, N-Star c	Success	12
2002-08-28 22:45:00	V-155	5G			513	Atlantic Bird 1, MSG 1, MFD	Success	13
2002-12-11 22:22:00	V-157		5ECA		517	Hot Bird 7, Stentor, MFD A, MFD B	Failure[11]	14
2003-04-09 22:52:19	V-160	5G			514	Insat 3A, Galaxy 12	Success	15
2003-06-11 22:38:15	V-161	5G			515	Optus C1, BSat 2c	Success	16
2003-09-27 23:14:46	V-162	5G			516	Insat 3E, eBird 1, SMART-1	Success	17
2004-03-02 07:17:44	V-158	5G+			518	Rosetta	Success	18
2004-07-18 00:44:00	V-163	5G+			519	Anik F2	Success	19
2004-12-18 16:26:00	V-165	5G+			520	Helios 2A, Essaim 1, 2, 3 and 4, PARASOL, Nanosat 01	Success	20
2005-02-12 21:03:00	V-164		5ECA		521	XTAR-EUR, Maqsat B2, Sloshsat	Success	21
2005-08-11 08:20:00	V-166	5GS			523	Thaicom 4 - iPStar	Success	22
2005-10-13 22:32:00	V-168	5GS			524	Syracuse 3A, Galaxy 15	Success	23
2005-11-16 23:46:00	V-167		5ECA		522	Spaceway F2, TELKOM-2	Success	24
2005-12-21 22:33:00	V-169	5GS			525	Insat 4A, MSG 2, MFD C	Success	25
2006-03-11 22:32:50	V-170		5ECA		527	Spainsat, MFD C, MFD C, Hot Bird 7A	Success[12]	26
2006-05-26 21:08:50	V-171		5ECA		529	Satmex 6, Thaicom 5	Success[13]	27
2006-08-11 22:15:00	V-172		5ECA		531	JCSat 10, Syracuse 3B	Success[14]	28
2006-10-13 20:56:00	V-173		5ECA		533	DirecTV-9S, Optus D1, LDREX-2	Success[15]	29
2006-12-08 22:08:00	V-174		5ECA		534	WildBlue 1, AMC 18	Success[16]	30
2007-03-11 22:03	V-175		5ECA		535	Skynet-5A, Insat-4B	Success[17]	31
2007-05-04 22:29	V-176		5ECA		536	Astra 1L, Galaxy 17	Success[18]	32
2007-08-14 23:44	V-177		5ECA		537	Spaceway F3, BSAT-3A	Success	33
2007-10-05 22:02	V-178	5GS			526	Intelsat 11, Optus D2	Success	34
2007-11-14 22:06	V-179		5ECA		538	Skynet 5B, Star One C1	Success[19]	35
2007-12-21 21:41	V-180	5GS			530	RASCOM-QAF 1, Horizons 2	Success	36
2008-03-09 04:03	V-181			ES ATV	528	Automated Transfer Vehicle-1 - "Jules-Verne"	Success[20]	37
2008-04-18 22:17	V-182		5ECA		539	Star One C2, Vinasat-1	Success[21]	38
2008-06-12 22:05	V-183		5ECA		540	Turksat 3A, Skynet-5C	Success[22]	39
2008-07-07 21:47	V-184		5ECA		541	BADR-6, ProtoStar I	Success[23]	40
2008-08-14 20:44	V-185		5ECA		542	AMC-21, Superbird 7	Success[24]	41
2008-12-20 22:35	V-186		5ECA		543	Eutelsat W2M, Hot Bird 9	Success[25]	42
2009-02-12 22:09	V-187		5ECA		545	Hot Bird 10 , NSS-9 , Spirale A , Spirale B	Success[26]	43
2009-05-14 13:12	V-188		5ECA		546	Herschel, Planck	Success[27]	44
2009-07-01 19:52	V-189		5ECA		547	TerreStar-1	Success[28]	45

[edit] Upcoming flights

Date	Flight	Model	Serial number	Payload	Result
2009-08	V-190	Ariane 5ECA	548	JCSat 12 / Optus D3	Planned
2009-09	V-191	Ariane 5ECA	549	? / ?	Planned
2009-10	V-192	Ariane 5ECA	550	? / ?	Planned
2009-12	V-193	Ariane 5GS	532	Helios IIB	Planned
2010-11-10	V-xxx	Ariane 5ES	544	ATV-2 "Johannes Kepler"	Planned

• Ariane 5GS unit 532 is the final GS model to be launched.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] See also

• Comparison of heavy lift launch systems

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ariane 5

• Ariane launches page on LyngSat
• ESA description of the Ariane 5
• Ariane 5 technical notes, available as PDF from http://www.arianespace.com/site/documents/document_sub_index.html
• (English) [1]
• (English) Actually Launch on Arianespace Homepage
• (English) The last and the next Launch
• BBC News report on the (delayed) successful launch of the Ariane 5 ECA flight on November 16, 2005.
• Vinci Engine development
• Watch an Ariane 5 launch (webcast begins 20 mins before launch).
• Ariane 5 rocket explodes

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