Ariane 5

Ariane 5 was Europe’s flagship heavy-lift rocket and one of the most reliable launchers of its era. Operated for the European Space Agency, it flew from 1996 to 2023 and earned a place in history by launching the James Webb Space Telescope, the most powerful space observatory ever built.

Quick facts

• Operated: 1996 to 2023.
• Owner: the European Space Agency (ESA), with launches managed by Arianespace.
• Launch site: the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, near the equator.
• Total flights: 117.
• Signature mission: launching the James Webb Space Telescope in December 2021.

How it worked

Ariane 5 used a central core stage burning liquid hydrogen and oxygen, flanked by two large solid rocket boosters that provided most of the thrust at liftoff. Launching from near the equator gave it an extra speed boost from the Earth’s rotation, which is ideal for sending heavy communications satellites to high orbits. It often carried two large satellites at once, stacked inside its tall nose cone, sharing the cost of a launch between customers.

Why it mattered

For more than two decades Ariane 5 was the backbone of the commercial satellite business and a symbol of European independence in space. After a famous failure on its very first flight in 1996, the design was corrected and went on to build a long record of dependable launches. Its careful, precise delivery of the James Webb Space Telescope was so accurate that it saved enough fuel to roughly double the telescope’s expected lifetime. Ariane 5 retired in 2023, handing off to its successor, Ariane 6.