More About the ESA Line of Ariane Launchers

note: the weight units used in that tutorial in the metric system only, mostly

After ESA came into being in 1975, it immediately considered that having its own launcher was a key to a independent access to space. The remarkable feat about the ESA endeavour is that its launcher did not emerge from the transformation of any ballistice missiles, like the case of the USSR or the USA but it really was a civilian launcher from scratch. The first of the European project was the ' Lanceur à Trois Etages de Substitution' or LIIIS. After that that French name was considered for a substitution like 'Edelweiss', or 'William Tell', in 1977, or varied names taken from the Greek or Roman mythology, a agreement was made for one of the latters, with the name 'Ariane' -'Ariadne', in English- the Greek goddess who gave Theseus the thread to help him against the Minotaur. As the construction of the Ariane had begun since 1974, the new rocket eventually performed its first launch, like the 'Ariane-1', by Dec. 24th, 1979, from Kourou, French Guiana, after that two attempts had to be scrubbed. The Ariane-1 was able to put two communications satellites in orbit at a time. 11 Ariane-1 were launched between 1979 and 1986 as the more powerful Ariane-2, and Ariane-3 were launched at the number of 5, between 1987 and 1989, and 11, between 1984 and 1989, respectively. The Ariane was using a new technology of combining liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. All three launchers were slightly different. The 1st and 3rd stages of Ariane-2 and Ariane-3 were longer than those of Ariane-1, with Ariane-3 bearing strap-on, liquid or solid propellant boosters. The most flexible and powerful Ariane-3 was capable of a payload of 1.7 tonnes

a view of the Ariane-5G+. picture ESA

The Ariane-4 first flew in June 1988 and lasted until in February 2003, after 113 successful launches! It was a versatile launcher, with the first stage abe to 2 or 4 strap-on boosters, thus being apt to launch from 2 to 4.3 tonnes in a GTO orbit. The Ariane-4 was instrumental in allowing the ESA to catch 50 percent of the commercial launches market

The latest of the series of the Ariane launchers is now, since its first operational launch in December 1999 (after a first flight in October 1997), the Ariane-5. The Ariane-5 launchers are able to geostationary transfer orbit, medium and low Earth orbits, Sun-synchronous orbits (SSO) or planetary missions. Any Ariane-5 features a central core stage, with two solid boosters attached. Upon that, varied upper stage configurations are possibly integrated. A new launch site at the ESA spaceport in Kourou was built anew for the launcher, or new facilities for the integration of the solid boosters, or the production of the solid propellant of those. The Ariane-5 Generic launcher has demonstrated its robustness and reliability. To match the launch market evolution, some changes, like some increases in the tanks' capacity or the a lighter composite used for some part of the rocket's structure, were introduced on a limited number of Ariane-5, bringing to some launchers called like 'Ariane-5 Generic Plus', or 'Ariane-5G+'

Since the mid-1990's a evolution of the requests of the Ariane customers have shown that a majority of them required the access to the geosynchronous transfer orbit. Thus, after the halt of the 'Ariane-5G+' versions, the ESA kept bringing further, and more important upgrades to the Ariane-5 launcher. The 'Ariane-5 ECA' was a improved Ariane-5G+, with increased thrust-boosters and main, Vulcain-2 cryogenic engine and is now able to launch payloads in the GTO up to 9.6 tonnes, as the Ariane-5 ES ATV is a launcher which has been deviced specially with the ESA, ISS cargo ship, the 'Automated Transfer Vehicle' (ATV), in mind. It's a improved version of the Ariane-5 ECA with, further a re-ignitable, storable propulsion stage, the 'EPS.' The first EPS ignition occurs just after the separation from the main stage (EPC) as it is then cut-off for a ballistic phase of about 45 minutes. A second EPS ignition occurs for a short while as the payload -the ATV that is- is separated and injected into its target orbit. The EPS, at last, is used to direct the upper stage back into the Earth's atmosphere. The improvements brought to those versions of the Ariane-5 were lately brought into the 'Ariane-5 GS', which first flight occurred by August 2005. The ESA always stuck to its original concept of being able to launch two -or sometimes up to three- satellites with a same Ariane launcher. The main, first stage of a Ariane-5 launcher operates for nearly 540 seconds, as it also performs the roll control function during all its propulsion phase. It shuts down at a altitude between 99 and 130 miles (160-210 km) depending on the mission, as it then reenters the atmosphere above the Atlantic Ocean. ESA, by late 2012, decided to transition to a Ariane 6 by 2021 (which is scheduled modulable and able to 2 to 8 tons in the geostationary orbit), as that will first pass through a Ariane 5 'mid-life evolution' or Ariane 5 ME, which is scheduled to launch first in 2017. A 'Multi P linear' concept based on a series of engines serving for the first and second stages of the rocket was adopted by 2013 as the third stage will be a adapted version of the Ariane 5 ME upper stage. By 2013 more was defined about the new ESA launcher, with a PPH configuration indicating a first and a second stage using solid propulsion (P) and a third stage using cryogenic propulsion (H), for a total of 6.5 tons ability to the geostationary orbit. The recent apparition of the private U.S. space company SpaceX, which is a concurrent, accelerated the move to the Ariane 6. ESA has worked with a industrial network led by prime contractor ArianeGroup, of more than 600 companies in 13 European countries, including 350 small- and medium-sized enterprises, to fine-tune the design and start production. Meanwhile, France’s CNES space agency has been preparing its launch facilities at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The Ariane 6’s core stage is powered by Vulcain 2.1, an upgraded engine derived from Ariane 5’s Vulcain 2; its upper stage is powered by the reignitable Vinci engine. Two (for the Ariane 62) or four (Ariane 64) P120C solid-fuel boosters for Ariane 6, common with Vega-C, will be strapped on to provide thrust at liftoff. ArianeGroup started the production of the first 14 Ariane 6 launchers, which should fly since 2021 or 2023 along with the last Ariane 5, with a first flight forecast in the second half of 2020

Ariane Line Specs (note: measurement datas in the metric system only)

Launcher Version	Ariane-1	Ariane-2	Ariane-3	Ariane-4	Ariane-5G	Ariane-5 ECA	Ariane-5 ES ATV	Ariane-5 GS
Height	47.4 m	49 m	49 m	up to 58.72 m	46 to 52 m	up to 52 m	up to 53 m	up to 47 m
Diameter	3.8 m	3.8 m	3.8 m	3.8 m	up to 5.4 m	up to 5.4 m	up to 5.4 m	up to 5.4 m
Liftoff Mass	210 tonnes	219 tonnes	237 tonnes	mass240 tonnes (note: some versions were able up to 350, or 470 tonnes)	746 tonnes (dual launch)	780 tonnes (double launch)	760 tonnes	750 tonnes (double launch)
Max. Payload	1.83 tonnes (in GTO)	2.27 tonnes (in GTO)	2.65 tonnes (in GTO)	2 tonnes (note: some versions were able to up to 3.1, or 4.3 tonnes)	6 tonnes (GTO; 9.5 tonnes SSO)	9.6 tonnes (in GTO)	up to 21 tonnes	6.7 tonnes (in GTO)

As far as launch operations are concerned, a Ariane 5 launches from Kourou, French Guiana. A Director of Operations (DDO) is managing launch. A T-0, the Vulcain main engine is fired as 7 seconds are necessary before the boosters are ignited in turn, to make sure that the Vulcain really is working. Like for any booster-strapped launcher, the solid fuel boosters of the Ariane 5 are jettisoned after a while -about 2½ into the flight- as they are not of the reusable type. When Ariane 5 is reaching 65 nautical miles of altitude, the satellite fairing is jettisoned in turn, alleviating the weight of the rocket. In the case of a climb to the geostationary orbit, the main engine cuts off by about 8 mn and 50 minute after launch to allow to the main stage separation from the second one and the payload. The second stage's engine then takes on as it cuts off in turn about 25 mn into the flight, with the launch now by 404 miles of altitude and a speed of 20,900 mph. Satellisation occurs about 32 minutes into the flight. As of late 2010, the Ariane 5 launcher had successfully launched 39 times