Adapted from The Satellite Encyclopedia.
After the failure of the Europa 1/2 program, the ELDO was to design a totally new Europa 3. This launcher was to have a first stage L150 with storable propellant powered by 4 Viking motors from SEP and a second cryogenic stage H20 equipped with a high pressure HM-20 motor from Cryorocket. This project was found too risky both technically and financially especially by Germany, which wanted to focus on the Spacelab development.
In 1972 the CNES proposed to build a launcher with the same performance but using only European tested technology like the low-pressure cryogenic propulsion. This project designed L-IIIS (substitution third generation launcher) was to use an H6 cryogenic top stage with a HM-4 motor designed by SEP. The poor performance of the H6 compared to the H20 required the use of two base stages, on L140 (reduced version of the Europa 3 L150) and an L33 (featuring a single Viking motor adapted to altitude use).
In December 1972 the 5th European Space Conference ended on 3 agreements: creation of a
European Space Agency (ESA to replace both ELDO and ESRO) and the start of the L-IIIS and
Spacelab.
The following year the L-IIIS project was further defined (increased propellant of the H6
to become H8 and replacement of the 4-chamber HM-4 by a single-nozzle HM-7) and changed
denomination: Ariane. The CNES granted Aerospatiale as the industrial architect of the project.
Ariane 1
The first Ariane version was a 208-ton launcher (without payload) of 47.4 m high. The first stage (L140) was 3.8 m diameter, 18.4 m high, containing 147.6 tons propellant (NTO + UDMH). It was powered by a set of 4 Viking 5 motors which fired during 146 seconds, providing 2485 kN thrust at takeoff (Isp = 247 s) and 2770 kN in vacuum (Isp = 278 s). The second stage (L33) was 2.6 m diameter for 11.6 m high. It was loaded with 34.2 tons propellant identical to first stage. It's Viking 4 motor provided 723 kN thrust (Isp = 296 s) during 138 seconds. The top stage (H8) of same diameter was 9.1 m high. It's cryogenic motor HM-7 developed 61.3 kN thrust (Isp = 441 s) and consumed 8.2 tons liquid oxygen and hydrogen in 545 seconds. The first and third stages were assembled in France by Aerospatiale, the second stage in Germany by ERNO. Ariane was optimized for launches in GTO to which it could deliver 1750 kg.
As soon as 1977 the CNES started enhancing the performance of the launcher. The first
derivatives named Ariane 2 & 3 had the following characteristics:
- On the two first stages: enhancement of the thrust of the Viking 4 and 5 by increasing
the pressure of the combustion chamber and replacement of UDMH by UH25 (75% UDMH and 25%
hydrazine hydrate). The combustion duration where then respectively 135 and 123 seconds.
- On the third stage: lengthening by 1.3 m of the tanks (10.7 tons propellant on this new
H10) and increased specific impulsion of the motor (HM-7B). The combustion duration was then
720 s.
- Extension of the payload volume.
The Ariane 3 version had also two additional solid booster: 8 m high, 1.07 m diameter, 9.7
tons (including 7.3 tons solid propellant: Flexadyne). Each booster provided 666 kN thrust
during 28 s. They were manufactured by BPD in Italy.
The two launchers were 48.7 high. Ariane 2 weighed 212 tons at takeoff while Ariane 3 weighed 230 tons. The payload weights then reached 2065 kg and 2580 kg in GTO.
The construction of a series of launchers named Ariane 4 with enhanced performance was
decided in 1981. Those launchers are directly derived from the previous version, retaining
the 3 stages and lengthening the first one and addition solid and/or liquid boosters.
The first stage of Ariane 4 named L220 is 23.2 m high. It transports 227 tons propellant
identical to Ariane 2/3. It is still powered by a set of Viking 5 motors (version C) which
provide during 205 seconds 2710 kN thrust at takeoff (3010 kN in vacuum, Isp = 278 s). The two
other stages are those of Ariane 2/3 with a reinforced structure. The 3rd stage has been
lengthened twice giving the H10+ (11 tons propellant) and H10-3 (11.8 tons propellant) versions.
The latter burns during 13 minutes.
The flexibility of Ariane 4 is due to the adaptation of the payload by addition of boosters on the first stage. Those are of 2 types: PAP (solid) and PAL (liquid). The PAPs are an enhancement of the Ariane 3 boosters. They are 12 m high, weigh 12.6 tons (including 9.5 tons powder) and provide 650 kN thrust (Isp = 224 s) during 36 seconds. The PALs are built by MBB/ERNO. They are 19 m high, 2.2 m diameter, weigh 43.5 tons (39 tons of the same propellant as the first stage). Their Viking 6 motor fires during 143 seconds and provides 678 kN at ground level, 752 kN in vacuum.
The possible configurations are:
- Ariane 40: no boosters
- Ariane 42: 2 boosters, 42P with 2 PAP and 42L with 2 PAL
- Ariane 44: 4 boosters, 44P with 4 PAP, 44L with 4 PAL, 44LP with 2 PAP and 2 PAL
The launcher's height ranges from 54.1 m to 58.4 m depending on the cap used. Its mass ranges from 243 tons (Ariane 40) to 480 tons (Ariane 44L) and the GTO performance from 2020 kg to 4460 kg. Ariane 4 should remain in active service until the end of the century.
Tables
a/ Engine performances
b/ Ariane launches
Ariane | 4 Viking 5 | Viking 4 | HM7 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Type | First launch | Ver. | Thrust (kN) | SI (sec) | Ver. | Thrust (kN) | SI (sec) | Ver. | Thrust (kN) | SI (sec) |
1 | 1979 | A | 2485 s/2770 v | 247 s/278 v | A | 723 | 296 | 61.3 | 441 | |
2/3 | 1984 | B | 2690 s/2980 v | B | 785 | 296 | B | 62.8 | 445 | |
4 | 1988 | C | 2710 s/3010 v | - | - | - | - | - | - |
# | Launch id | Payload | Launch Date | Type | Status/Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 79104 | CAT | 24 Dec 1979 | 1 | Transfert |
2 | n/a | Firewheel Oscar-9 | 23 May 1980 | 1 | Failure |
3 | 81057 | Meteosat-2 APPLE | 19 Jun 1981 | 1 | Geosynchronous |
4 | 81122 | MarECS-1 | 19 Dec 1981 | 1 | Geosynchronous |
5 | n/a | MarECS-2 Sirio-2 | 10 Sep 1982 | 1 | Failure |
6 | 83058 | ECS-1 Oscar-10 | 16 Jun 1983 | 1 | Geosynchronous |
7 | 83105 | Intelsat-V F7 | 19 Oct 1983 | 1 | Geosynchronous |
8 | 84023 | Intelsat-V F8 | 05 Mar 1984 | 1 | Geosynchronous |
9 | 84049 | Spacenet-1 | 23 May 1984 | 1 | Geosynchronous |
10 | 84081 | ECS-2 Telecom-1A | 04 Aug 1984 | 3 | Geosynchronous |
11 | 84114 | MarECS-B2 Spacenet-2 | 09 Nov 1984 | 3 | Geosynchronous |
12 | 85015 | Arabsat-1A SBTS-1 | 08 Feb 1985 | 3 | Geosynchronous |
13 | 85035 | GStar-1A Telecom-1B | 08 May 1985 | 3 | Geosynchronous |
14 | 85056 | Giotto | 02 Jul 1985 | 1 | Halley probe |
15 | n/a | ECS-3 Spacenet-3 | 12 Sep 1985 | 3 | Failure |
16 | 86019 | SPOT-1 Viking | 21 Feb 1986 | 1 | 825x825x98.7 |
17 | 86026 | GStar-2 BrazilSat-2 | 28 Mar 1986 | 3 | Geosynchronous |
18 | n/a | Intelsat-VA F14 | 31 May 1986 | 2 | Failure |
19 | 87078 | Aussat-K3 ECS-4 | 15 Sep 1987 | 3 | Geosynchronous |
20 | 87095 | TVSat-1 | 21 Nov 1987 | 2 | Geosynchronous |
21 | 88018 | Telecom-1C Spacenet-3R | 11 Mar 1988 | 3 | Geosynchronous |
22 | 88040 | Intelsat-VA F13 | 17 May 1988 | 2 | Geosynchronous |
23 | 88051 | Meteosat-P2 PanAmSat-1 | 15 Jun 1988 | 44LP | Geosynchronous |
24 | 88063 | ECS-5 Insat-1C | 21 Jul 1988 | 3 | Geosynchronous |
25 | 88081 | GStar-3 SBS-5 | 08 Sep 1988 | 3 | Geosynchronous |
26 | 88089 | TDF-1 | 28 Oct 1988 | 2 | Geosynchronous |
27 | 88109 | Astra-1A Skynet-4B | 10 Dec 1988 | 44LP | Geosynchronous |
28 | 89006 | Intelsat-VA F15 | 26 Jan 1989 | 2 | Geosynchronous |
29 | 89020 | JCsat-1 Meteosat-4 | 06 Mar 1989 | 44LP | Geosynchronous |
30 | 89027 | Tele-X | 01 Apr 1989 | 2 | Geosynchronous |
31 | 89041 | Superbird-A Kopernikus-1 | 05 Jun 1989 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
32 | 89053 | Olympus-1 | 11 Jul 1989 | 3 | Geosynchronous |
33 | 89062 | TVSat-2 Hipparcos-1 | 08 Aug 1989 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
34 | 89087 | Intelsat-6 F2 | 27 Oct 1989 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
35 | 90005 | SPOT-2 UOSATs µsats | 21 Jan 1990 | 40 | 825x825x98.7 |
36 | n/a | Superbird-B BS-2X | 22 Feb 1990 | 44L | Failure |
37 | 90063 | TDF-2 Kopernikus-2 | 24 Jul 1990 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
38 | 90079 | Eutelsat-2A Skynet-4C | 30 Aug 1990 | 44LP | Geosynchronous |
39 | 90091 | Galaxy-6 SBS-6 | 12 Oct 1990 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
40 | 90100 | Satcom-C1 GStar-4 | 20 Nov 1990 | 42P | Geosynchronous |
41 | 91003 | Eutelsat-2B Italsat-1 | 15 Jan 1991 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
42 | 91015 | ASTRA-1B Meteosat-5 | 02 Mar 1991 | 44LP | Geosynchronous |
43 | 91026 | Anik-E F2 | 04 Apr 1991 | 44P | Geosynchronous |
44 | 91050 | ERS-1 4 µsats | 17 Jul 1991 | 40 | 780x780x98.5 |
45 | 91055 | Intelsat-6 F5 | 14 Aug 1991 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
46 | 91067 | Anik-E F1 | 26 Sep 1991 | 44P | Geosynchronous |
47 | 91075 | Intelsat-6 F1 | 29 Oct 1991 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
48 | 91084 | Telecom-2A Inmarsat-2 F3 | 16 Dec 1991 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
49 | 92010 | Superbird-B1 Arabsat-1C | 27 Feb 1992 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
50 | 92021 | Telecom-2B Inmarsat-2 F4 | 15 Apr 1992 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
51 | 92041 | Eutelsat-2D Insat-2A | 09 Jul 1992 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
52 | 92052 | Topex µsats | 10 Aug 1992 | 42P | 1330x1330x66.0 |
53 | 92060 | Hispasat-1A Satcom-C3 | 10 Sep 1992 | 44LP | Geosynchronous |
54 | 92071 | Galaxy-7 | 27 Oct 1992 | 42P | Geosynchronous |
55 | 92084 | Superbird-A | 01 Dec 1992 | 42P | Geosynchronous |
56 | 93031 | Astra-1C Arsene | 12 May 1993 | 42L | Geosynchronous |
57 | 93039 | Galaxy-4 | 25 Jun 1993 | 42P | Geosynchronous |
58 | 93048 | Hispasat-1B Insat-2B | 23 Jul 1993 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
59 | 93061 | SPOT-3 Stella µsats | 25 Sep 1993 | 40 | 815x815x98.7 |
60 | 93066 | Intelsat-701 | 22 Oct 1993 | 44LP | Geosynchronous |
61 | 93073 | Solidaridad-1 Meteosat-6 | 19 Nov 1993 | 44LP | Geosynchronous |
62 | 93078 | DirectTV-1 Thaicom-1 | 17 Dec 1993 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
63 | n/a | Eutelsat-2 F5 Turksat-1A | 25 Jan 1994 | 44LP | Failure |
64 | 94034 | Intelsat-702 µsats | 17 Jun 1994 | 44LP | Geosynchronous |
65 | 94040 | Panamsat-2 BS-3N | 08 Jul 1994 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
66 | 94049 | Brazilsat-B1 Turksat-1B | 10 Aug 1994 | 44LP | Geosynchronous |
67 | 94058 | Telstar-402 | 08 Sep 1994 | 42L | Transfert |
68 | 94065 | Solidaridad-2 Thaicom-2 | 08 Oct 1994 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
69 | 94070 | Astra-1D | 31 Oct 1994 | 42P | Geosynchronous |
70 | n/a | Panamsat-3 | 01 Dec 1994 | 42P | Failure |
71 | 95016 | Brazilsat-B2 Eutelsat-2#6 | 29 Mar 1995 | 44LP | Geosynchronous |
72 | 95021 | ERS-2 | 20 Apr 1995 | 40 | 785x785x98.6 |
73 | 95023 | Intelsat-706a | 17 May 1995 | 44LP | Geosynchronous |
74 | 95029 | DirectTV-3 | 10 Jun 1995 | 42P | Geosynchronous |
75 | 95033 | Helios-1 µsats | 10 Jul 1995 | 40 | 680x680x98.0 |
76 | 95040 | Panamsat-4 | 04 Aug 1995 | 42L | Geosynchronous |
77 | 95044 | N-Star-A | 29 Aug 1995 | 44P | Geosynchronous |
78 | 95049 | Telstar-402R | 23 Sep 1995 | 44P | Geosynchronous |
79 | 95055 | Astra-1E | 18 Oct 1995 | 42L | Geosynchronous |
80 | 95062 | ISO | 17 Nov 1995 | 44P | 1000x70500x5.3 |
81 | 95067 | Telecom-2C Insat-2C | 07 Dec 1995 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
82 | 96002 | Panamsat-3R Measat-1 | 13 Jan 1996 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
83 | 96007 | N-Star-B | 05 Feb 1996 | 44P | Geosynchronous |
84 | 96015 | Intelsat-707a | 14 Mar 1996 | 44LP | Geosynchronous |
85 | 96022 | MSAT-1 | 20 Apr 1996 | 42P | Geosynchronous |
86 | 96030 | Palapa-C2 Amos-1 | 15 May 1996 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
87 | 96035 | Intelsat-709 | 15 Jun 1996 | 44LP | Geosynchronous |
89 | 96040 | Arabsat-2A Turksat-1C | 10 Jul 1996 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
90 | 96044 | Telecom-2D Italsat-2 | 09 Aug 1996 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
91 | 96055 | Echostar-2 | 10 Sep 1996 | 42P | Geosynchronous |
92 | 96063 | Arabsat-2B Measat-2 | 13 Nov 1996 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
93 | 97002 | GE-2 Nahuel-1A | 30 Jan 1997 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
94 | 97009 | Intelsat-801 | 01 Mar 1997 | 44P | Geosynchronous |
95 | 97016 | Thaicom-3 BSat-1A | 16 Apr 1997 | 44LP | Geosynchronous |
97 | 97027 | Inmarsat-3F3 Insat-2D | 04 Jun 1997 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
96 | 97031 | Intelsat-802 | 25 Jun 1997 | 44P | Geosynchronous |
98 | 97040 | Panamsat-6 | 08 Aug 1997 | 44P | Geosynchronous |
99 | 97049 | Eutelsat HB-3 Meteosat-7 | 02 Sep 1997 | 44LP | Geosynchronous |
100 | 97053 | Intelsat-803 | 23 Sep 1997 | 42L | Geosynchronous |
102 | 97071 | Sirius-2 Cakrawarta-1 | 12 Nov 1997 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
103 | 97075 | JCSat-5 Equator-S | 02 Dec 1997 | 44P | Geosynchronous |
104 | 97083 | Intelsat 804 | 22 Dec 1997 | 42L | Geosynchronous |
105 | 98006 | Brazilsat B3 Inmarsat 3 | 02 Feb 1998 | 44LP | Geosynchronous |
106 | 98013 | Eutelsat HB 4 | 27 Feb 1998 | 42P | Geosynchronous |
107 | 98017 | SPOT 4 | 24 Mar 1998 | 40 | 825x825x98.7 |
108 | 98024 | Nilesat 1 BSAT 1B | 28 Apr 1998 | 44P | Geosynchronous |
109 | 98049 | ST 1 | 25 Aug 1998 | 44P | Geosynchronous |
110 | 98052 | PAS 7 | 16 Sep 1998 | 44LP | Geosynchronous |
111 | 98056 | Eutelsat W2 Sirius 3 | 05 Oct 1998 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
113 | 98063 | Afristar GE 5 | 28 Oct 1998 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
114 | 98070 | Satmex 5 | 06 Dec 1998 | 42L | Geosynchronous |
115 | 98075 | PAS 6B | 22 Dec 1998 | 42L | Geosynchronous |
116 | 99009 | Arabsat 3A Skynet 4E | 26 Feb 1999 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
117 | 99016 | Insat 2E | 02 Apr 1999 | 42P | Geosynchronous |
118 | 99042 | Telkom | 12 Aug 1999 | 42P | Geosynchronous |
120 | 99046 | Mugunghwa 3 | 04 Sep 1999 | 42P | Geosynchronous |
121 | 99052 | Telstar 7 | 25 Sep 1999 | 44LP | Geosynchronous |
122 | 99059 | Orion 2 | 19 Oct 1999 | 44LP | Geosynchronous |
123 | 99060 | GE 4 | 13 Nov 1999 | 44LP | Geosynchronous |
124 | 99064 | Helios 1B Clementine | 03 Dec 1999 | 40 | 680x680x98.1 |
125 | 99071 | Galaxy 11 | 22 Dec 1999 | 44L | Geosynchronous |
126 | 00002 | Galaxy 10R | 24 Jan 2000 | 42L | Geosynchronous |
127 | 00012 | Superbird 4 | 17 Feb 2000 | 44LP | Geosynchronous |
129 | 00020 | Galaxy 4R | 18 Apr 2000 | 42L | Geosynchronous |
131 | 00046 | Brazilsat B4 Nilesat 102 | 07 Aug 2000 | 44LP | Geosynchronous |
132 | 00052 | Eutelsat W1 | 06 Sep 2000 | 44P | Geosynchronous |
133 | 00060 | N-Sat 110 | 06 Oct 2000 | 42L | Geosynchronous |
134 | 00068 | EuropeStar 1 | 29 Oct 2000 | 44LP | Geosynchronous |
136 | 00076 | Anik F1 | 21 Nov 2000 | 44L | Geosynchronous |