30 September 2015 – The 226th launch of the Ariane rocket, successfully placing two satellites in their geostationary transfer orbits, took place today from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
The launch injected a 10,203 kilogram load (including 9,417 kilograms of satellites) into a standard geostationary transfer orbit, representing the 3rd best performance of an Ariane 5 ECA launcher to-date.
“This exceptional performance demonstrates first results from successfully implemented improvements conceived and produced together with the European Space Agency and Arianespace to secure the competitiveness of Ariane 5 until the introduction of Ariane 6. I would like to once again thank them for their confidence and that of the CNES in our reliability ” said Alain Charmeau, CEO of Airbus Safran Launchers. “The 5th Ariane 5 launch in 2015 marks another success for Airbus Safran Launchers and its parent companies, in keeping with the work they have been carrying outfor more than 10 years at Airbus Defence and Space and Safran.”
Airbus Safran Launchers has been the prime contractor for the Ariane 5 European launcher, one of the largest and most ambitious space programmes in the world, since January 2015. Building on the expertise of the Airbus and Safran groups, the company oversees an industrial network that brings together more than 550 companies (more than 20% of which are SMEs) in 12 European countries. Airbus Safran Launchers manages the entire industrial supply chain, from the manufacture of equipment and stages to the complete integration of the launcher in French Guiana, in line with the customer’s specifications. Representing cutting-edge European expertise, the Ariane 5 launcher has been specially designed to inject heavy payloads into orbit.
Airbus Safran Launchers is also the prime contractor for the future European launcher Ariane 6, whose maiden flight is scheduled for 2020.
Ariane flight 226 in numbers:
- 226th Ariane launch
- 82nd Ariane 5 launch and 52nd Ariane 5 ECA
- 68th consecutive success for Ariane 5
- 5th Ariane 5 launch in 2015
- 4th Ariane rocket to be delivered to Arianespace that was assembled and tested under the responsibility of Airbus Safran Launchers, the prime contractor
- 26th Ariane 5 ordered by Arianespace since 2010, out of a batch of 53 launchers