Last night’s liftoff of Ariane 5 flight VA231 from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, was the fifth Ariane 5 launched this year. With 74 successful launches in a row, Ariane 5 now matches the reliability of Ariane 4. After satellite separation, in an experiment run by ESA and Airbus Safran Launchers, the upper stage coasted for another 30 minutes to mimic the longer missions of Ariane 6.
Trusted Ariane 5 lays foundations for Ariane 6
With 74 successful launches in a row, Ariane 5 now matches the reliability of Ariane 4 – while an experiment is helping the development of Ariane 6.
