Ariane (rocket family)

Ariane (rocket family) is a series of a European civilian expendable launch vehicles for space launch use. France proposed the Ariane project and it was agreed at the end of 1973 after discussions between France, Germany and the UK. The project was second Western Europe's attempt to develop its own launch vehicle following the unsuccessful Europa project. 

The main purpose if this project was to get independent access to space for launching commercial payload into orbit. Among other satellites, there have been other missions such as Giotto, the probe to Halley’s Comet; or Hipparcos, the stellar distance-measuring satellite; or Rosetta, a comet rendezvous mission; and Envisat, a large Earth-observing satellite.

The first ever Ariane 4 launch from Kourou on June 14, 1988

Ariane versions over the years

Ariane 1 was launched 11 times, with 9 successful launches, into geostationary orbit, having 3 stages. 

Ariane 2 was launched 6 times, with 6 successful launches, into geostationary orbit, having 3 stages. 

Ariane 3 was launched 11 times, with 10 successful launches, into geostationary orbit, having 3 stages.  

Ariane 4 was launched 116 times, with 113 successful launches, into geostationary orbit and low Earth orbit, having 3 stages.  

Ariane 5 was launched 103 times, with 98 successful launches, into geostationary orbit and low Earth orbit, having 2 stages. 

Ariane 6 is in development and the plan is to launch during 2022, having 2 stages. 

Ariane 1 was a three stage launch vehicle, derived from missile technology. The first two stages used hypergolic propellants and the third stage used cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen (LH2/LOX). Ariane 2 to 4 were enhancements of the basic version. The biggest difference is engine improvement, allowing stretched first- and third-stage tanks and greater payloads.

First launch of Ariane 1 occurred in December 1979.  Ariane 1 was 50 m tall and had a thrust at liftoff of 2,400 kN, which corresponds to launch an 1,850-kg satellite into geostationary orbit. Ariane 1 was liquid-fueled. Originally, it used a mixture of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide. After the explosion in May 1980, the fuel mixture was changed to the more stable mixture of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine and hydrazine.

Ariane 2 and Ariane 3 had the same design as each other, except Ariane 3 had the two solid fuel strap on boosters. Ariane 3 had a thrust 4,000 kN. 

 

ESA: Ariane 2 (left) and Ariane 3 (right)

The first Ariane 4 vehicle was launched in June 1988. Ariane 4 had a thrust of 5,700 kN.  In February 2003, the final Ariane 4 was launched. Arianespace decided to use larger Ariane 5

Ariane 42P rocket with the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite (Kourou, August 10, 1992) (NASA) 

Ariane 5 was developed in 1985 and it had a totally new design based on a cryogenically fueled first stage with two large solid-fuel boosters on its side, and having a second stage fueled by monomethylhydrazine with nitrogen peroxide as the oxidizer.

Ariane 6 is a currently under development by ArianeGroup on behalf of ESA. The first test flight was initially scheduled for 2020, but following several delays is now expected in the second quarter of 2022.

Both variants of Ariane 6: with two (left) and four (right) solid rocket boosters. Source: wiki

ESA selected the Ariane 62 and Ariane 64 designs for development in December 2014. In November 2015, an updated design of Ariane 64 and 62 was presented, with new nose cones on the boosters, main stage diameter increased to 5.4 m and the height decreased to 60 m. The basic design was finalized in January 2016.