Launching at 7 p.m. local time (22:00 UTC), the ultimate Ariane V lifted off on its 117th mission since its debut in June of 1996.
The ultimate launch carried two satellites to Geostationary Transfer Orbit, Syracuse 4B and Heinrich Hertz. Each satellites were successfully deployed ~30 and ~34 minutes after launch respectively.
Thanks for every thing, #Ariane5… @Arianespace @DGA @DLR_SpaceAgency @AirbusSpace @OHB_SE @ArianeGroup @esa @CNES @EuropeSpacePort pic.twitter.com/ZtLRd4cYa2
— Stéphane Israël (@arianespaceceo) July 5, 2023
Syracuse 4B is a French military communications satellite and can provide “uninterrupted communications capability in any respect times” in accordance with the CNES. The satellite was built by Airbus and is entirely electric.
Heinrich Hertz is a testbed for brand new communications technologies and was built by OHB System. The satellite will explore ways testing this recent technology may also help increase future broadband speeds for mobile users.
This final mission adds to the legacy of Ariane V — 27 years, 117 launches is sort of an accomplishment. Throughout its history, the Ariane V suffered a failure or partial failure 5 times, while unlucky, doesn’t even come near outweighing its major accomplishments.
Most recently, Ariane V launched the European Space Agency’s JUICE mission to explore the moons of Jupiter. One among its more notable launches, nevertheless, was the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, one of the crucial necessary science missions so far.
The Ariane V also launched the primary spacecraft to ever orbit a Comet, Rosetta, and the primary ever probe, Philae, to land on the surface, which ultimately landed a bit sideways, but still provided necessary data and out-of-this-world views from the surface.
A rare view from the surface of a comet pic.twitter.com/7awxUrVIQF
— StarTalk (@StarTalkRadio) June 20, 2023
With the ultimate launch now accomplished, this now leaves Europe without its own launch vehicle. The substitute for Ariane V, the Ariane 6, is delayed until not less than mid-2024 with more work needing to be done. The Vega C is facing problems after a launch failure in December 2022 and continues to be delayed after a recent solid rocket motor test ended with an anomaly.
With the dearth of obtainable launch vehicles, missions meant for a European rocket have been converted to launching on a SpaceX Falcon 9, most recently having launched the Euclid space telescope mission. They may also launch the HERA mission, originally slated to launch on a Vega C rocket. There may very well be more missions headed to SpaceX if the Ariane 6 and Vega C face further delays.