SPACE LAUNCH REPORT Ariane Launch Vehicle Flight History by Variant/Year (1979-2023) Page 1 of 3 (Ariane 1-4) L(F) = Number of Launches(Number of Failures) Ariane Ariane Ariane Ariane Ariane 1 2 3 4 1-4 Totals Year L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) -------------------------------------------------------- 1970 - - - - - 1971 - - - - - 1972 - - - - - 1973 - - - - - 1974 - - - - - 1975 - - - - - 1976 - - - - - 1977 - - - - - 1978 - - - - - 1979 1(0) - - - 1(0) 1980 1(1) - - - 1(1) 1981 2(0) - - - 2(0) 1982 1(1) - - - 1(1) 1983 2(0) - - - 2(0) 1984 2(0) - 2(0) - 4(0) 1985 1(0) - 3(1) - 4(1) 1986 1(0) 1(1) 1(0) - 3(1) 1987 - 1(0) 1(0) - 2(0) 1988 - 2(0) 3(0) 2(0) 7(0) 1989 - 2(0) 1(0) 4(0) 7(0) 1990 - - - 6(1) 6(1) 1991 - - - 8(0) 8(0) 1992 - - - 7(0) 7(0) 1993 - - - 7(0) 7(0) 1994 - - - 8(2) 8(2) 1995 - - - 11(0) 11(0) 1996 - - - 10(0) 10(0) 1997 - - - 11(0) 11(0) 1998 - - - 10(0) 10(0) 1999 - - - 9(0) 9(0) 2000 - - - 8(0) 8(0) 2001 - - - 6(0) 6(0) 2002 - - - 8(0) 8(0) 2003 - - - 1(0) 1(0) 2004 - - - - - 2005 - - - - - 2006 - - - - - 2007 - - - - - 2008 - - - - - 2009 - - - - - -------------------------------------------------------- Ariane Ariane Ariane Ariane Ariane 1 2 3 4 1-4 Totals L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) -------------------------------------------------------- Orbit 11(2) 6(1) 11(1) 116(3) 144(7) -------------------------------------------------------- Ariane 4 Vehicle Configurations ================================================================== Ariane 40 Stg 1 (L220) + Stg 2 (L33) + Stg 3 (H10-3) + VEB + PLF Ariane 42P Ariane 40 Core + 2xPAP solids Ariane 44P Ariane 40 Core + 4xPAP solids Ariane 42L Ariane 40 Core + 2xL40 boosters Ariane 44LP Ariane 40 Core + 2xPAP solids + 2xL40 boosters Ariane 44L Ariane 40 Core + 4xL40 boosters ================================================================== Ariane 4 Specifications ------------------------------------------------------------------ LEO Payload GTO Payload Height GLOW (tonnes) (tonnes)* (meters) (tonnes) (400 km SSO) ================================================================== Ariane 40 3.47 t 2.17 t 56.2 m 240 t Ariane 42P 4.60 t 2.89 t 56.2 m 339 t Ariane 44P 5.44 t 3.47 t 56.2 m 358 t Ariane 42L 5.62 t 3.59 t 56.2 m 375 t Ariane 44LP 6.58 t 4.29 t 56.2 m 418 t Ariane 44L 7.45 t 4.79 t** 56.2 m 470 t ================================================================== * GTO = GEO - 1500 m/s delta-v ** Ariane V113, with special enhancements, lifted 4.95 tonnes to GTO Ariane 4 Vehicle Components ------------------------------------------------------------------ PAP L40 Stg 1 Stg 2 Stg 3 Solid Liquid (L220) (L33) (H10-3) Booster Booster ================================================================== Diameter (m) 1.071 m 2.15 m 3.8 m 2.6 m 2.6 m Length (m) 11.5 m 18.6 m 28.4 m 11.6 m 11.05 m Mp (tonnes) 9.5 t 39.7 t 232 t* 35.4 t 11.8 t GLOW (tonnes) 12.66 t 44 t 246 t* 38.9 t 13.5 t Engine Viking VI Viking V Viking IV HM7B Fuel CTPB UDMH UDMH UDMH LH2 Solid Oxidizer Solid N2O4 N2O4 N2O4 LOX T(SL t) 66.28 t 68.83 t 275.32 t T(Vac t) 76.48 t 305.92 t 81.58 t 6.4 t ISP(SL sec) 237.2 s 248 s 248.5 s ISP(vac sec) 278 s 278.4 s 293.5 s 445.1 s Tburn (sec) 34 s 140 s 150-205 s* 126 s 780 s No. Engines 1 1 4 1 1 ================================================================== * Max Stage 1 Propellant Loading Actual Loads Vary by Vehicle Type as Follows Ariane 40: 167 tonnes Ariane 42P: 217.2 tonnes Ariane 42L: 201 tonnes Ariane 44(LorP): 227.1 tonnes Ariane 4 Vehicle Components, Cont'd ------------------------------------------------------------------ VEB Spelda Spelda PLF PLF (Short) (Long) (Short) (Long) ================================================================== Dia (m) 4.0 m 4 m 4 m Len (m) 1.0 m 8.6 m 9.6 m Mass (t) 0.4 t 0.33 t 0.41 t 0.76 t 0.89 t ================================================================== SPACE LAUNCH REPORT Ariane 4 European-developed Ariane 4 was the world's dominant commercial space launch vehicle from its 1988 debut until its retirement in 2003. The three-stage expendable flew in six configurations based on the number of solid or liquid strap-on boosters. When flown in the Ariane 40 configuration without any boosters, the vehicle could put 2.17 tonnes into geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO). Two solid boosters (PAP) created an Ariane 42P. Four solids made an Ariane 44P. With two liquid boosters (PAL), the rocket become an Ariane 42L. Two solids and two liquids made an Ariane 44LP. The most powerful version, Ariane 44L, used four liquid boosters to put 4.79 tonnes into GTO. Ariane 4 was the last Ariane powered by Viking-series engines. Originally developed by France during the 1970s for the never-flown Europa III, Viking engines burned nitrogen tetroxide and unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine (UDMH) to produce about 77,000 kgf thrust each in vacuum. Four Viking 5 engines powered the first stage. Each liquid booster used a single Viking 6. The second stage was powered by a single Viking 4. The Ariane 4 third stage was powered by an advanced HM7B engine that burned liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen (LOX/LH2) to produce 6,394 kgf thrust during a single 13 minute-long burn. First developed for Ariane 1 during the late 1970s, HM7 was the first LH2 fueled upper stage engine developed and flown outside the United States. Using the Spelda dispenser system, Ariane 4 could orbit two satellites at a time. This occurred less frequently during the later years as communication satellites grew heavier. Ariane 4 was launched from Kourou's ELA-2 launch site. At ELA-2, Ariane 4 launch vehicles were stacked atop a rail-mobile launch table inside a launcher integration building. When the vehicle was ready, it was rolled out on about one kilometer of dual-rail track to the ELA-2 launch pad itself. There, the vehicle was enclosed within a mobile service tower where payloads, already encapsulated within the payload fairing assembly, were added. The mobile launch table technique allowed more than one launch campaign to proceed at the same time, supporting a nearly once-per-month flight rate during the late 1990s. References: Ariane 4 User's Manual, Arianespace, 1999 Airclaims Space Review, May 2003 Jonathan's Space Report Launch Vehicle Database "http://www.planet4589.org/space/lvdb/index.html" Encylopedia Astronautica "http://www.astronautix.com/" Gunter's Space Page "http://www.skyrocket.de/space" SpaceFlightN "http://www.spaceflightnow.com"