How reliable is the Ariane rocket?

Launch history Ariane 5 launch vehicles have accumulated 111 launches since 1996, 106 of which were successful, yielding a 95.5\% success rate. Between April 2003 and December 2017, Ariane 5 flew 83 consecutive missions without failure, but the launch vehicle suffered a partial failure in January 2018.

What does the Ariane rocket carry?

As the central element of Ariane 5, the core cryogenic stage serves as one of the launcher’s key propulsion systems. It carries a propellant load of 132.27 metric tons of liquid oxygen and 25.84 metric tons of liquid hydrogen to feed the stage’s Vulcain main engine.

Is the Ariane 5 reliable?

The Ariane 5, one of the world’s most reliable launch vehicles, last launched in August 2020, placing two communications satellites and Northrop Grumman’s Mission Extension Vehicle 2 into geostationary transfer orbit.

What is SpaceX success rate?

Rockets from the Falcon 9 family have been launched 135 times over 12 years, resulting in 133 full mission successes (98.52\%), one partial success (SpaceX CRS-1 delivered its cargo to the International Space Station (ISS), but a secondary payload was stranded in a lower-than-planned orbit), and one full failure (the …

How overflow led to the explosion of an Ariane 5 rocket?

It turned out that the cause of the failure was a software error in the inertial reference system. Specifically a 64 bit floating point number relating to the horizontal velocity of the rocket with respect to the platform was converted to a 16 bit signed integer.

Where are Ariane rockets built?

Ariane 5 rockets are manufactured partly in Europe and partly in French Guiana. The European pieces are shipped to Kourou where the launcher is assembled with the locally manufactured elements.

How many Ariane 5 rockets have been successfully launched?

Ariane 5 rockets have accumulated 105 launches since 1996, 100 of which were successful, yielding a 95.2\% success rate. Between April 2003 and December 2017, Ariane 5 flew 82 consecutive missions without failure, but the rocket suffered a partial failure in January 2018.

What kind of propellant does the Ariane 5 use?

The original Ariane—Ariane 5 G—used the EPS (Étage à Propergols Stockables—Storable Propellant Stage), which was fueled by monomethylhydrazine (MMH) and nitrogen tetroxide, containing 10 tonnes (22,000 lb) of storable propellant. The EPS was subsequently improved for use on the Ariane 5 G+, GS, and ES.

What was the last satellite to be boosted by Ariane 5?

On 27 September 2003 the last Ariane 5 G boosted three satellites (including the first European lunar probe, SMART-1), in Flight 162. On 18 July 2004 an Ariane 5 G+ boosted what was at the time the heaviest telecommunication satellite ever, Anik F2, weighing almost 6,000 kg.

Who is the prime contractor for the Ariane 5?

Airbus Defence and Space is the prime contractor for the vehicles, leading a multi-country consortium of other European contractors. Ariane 5 is operated and marketed by Arianespace as part of the Ariane programme. The rockets are launched by Arianespace from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana.