Family-level launch record combining canonical variants, historical missions, public cadence forecasts, and available payload performance specs.
Historical missions are grouped by actual launch year. Forecast cadence uses family-level launch-rate rows.
| Year | Historical missions | Forecast launches |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 7 | 0 |
| 2017 | 6 | 0 |
| 2018 | 6 | 0 |
| 2019 | 4 | 0 |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 |
Payload capacity by variant and target orbit when structured capacity rows are available.
| Variant | Orbit | Capacity | Altitude | Inclination | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No performance specsNo structured payload capacity rows are linked to this vehicle family. | |||||
Latest launched missions using variants in this family.
| Mission | Variant | Launch |
|---|---|---|
| H2SAT/Syracuse 4B | Ariane 5ECA+ | Jul 5, 2023 |
| JUICE Mission | Ariane 5ECA+ | Apr 14, 2023 |
| Galaxy 35/36/MTG-I1 | Ariane 5ECA+ | Dec 13, 2022 |
| Eutelsat Konnect VHTS Mission |
Canonical variants rolled up into this launch vehicle family.
| Variant | Stages | Missions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Ariane 5ECA | Not stated | 72 | Retired |
Ariane 5ECA+ | Not stated | 12 | Retired |
Ariane 5ES | Not stated | 8 | Retired |
Ariane 5G | Not stated | 16 | Retired |
Ariane 5ECA+ |
| Sep 7, 2022 |
| Measat 3D/GSAT-24 | Ariane 5ECA+ | Jun 22, 2022 |
| JWST Mission | Ariane 5ECA+ | Dec 25, 2021 |
| SES-17/Syracuse 4A | Ariane 5ECA+ | Oct 24, 2021 |
| Star One D2/Eutelsat Q | Ariane 5ECA+ | Jul 30, 2021 |
Upcoming mission rows with announced launch timing.
| Mission | Variant | Announced |
|---|---|---|
No forecasted missionsNo upcoming announced mission rows are linked to this vehicle family. | ||
Ariane 5G+ | Not stated | 3 | Retired |
Ariane 5GS | Not stated | 6 | Retired |
Sabca has supplied TVC systems for the Ariane 4, Ariane 5, and now Ariane 6 rockets, as well as for Avio’s Vega and Vega C rockets.
The SATCOMBw-2 constellation was launched aboard Ariane 5 rockets in 2009 and 2010.
The 28-meter-tall rocket stage was assembled in 2023 at the former main stage integration building for Ariane 5 in Les Mureaux, France.
Delays in Ariane 6 development, retirement of Ariane 5, the loss of Soyuz access after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the grounding of Vega C in late 2022 created a gap in European access to space.
Europe experienced a launcher gap caused by delays in Ariane 6, retirement of Ariane 5, loss of access to Soyuz after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the grounding of Vega C after a failure in late 2022.
The James Webb Space Telescope is also positioned at the Lagrange point 2, having been delivered there by the European predecessor launch vehicle Ariane 5 in December 2021.
The Vega C return to flight followed the retirement of Ariane 5 and delays in the introduction of Ariane 6, contributing to a European launcher shortfall that required use of SpaceX Falcon 9 launches for key science and navigation spacecraft.
Ariane 6 is designed to succeed Ariane 5 as Europe's heavy-lift launch system.
Ariane 6 is a newly designed heavy-lift launch system intended to succeed Ariane 5.
Ariane 6 is an all-new design created to succeed Ariane 5 as Europe's heavy-lift launch system.
The Ariane 6 is the successor to the Ariane 5 and was initially planned to begin launches in 2020.
The EU switched to Falcon 9 for launching the Galileo satellites due to the retirement of the Ariane 5 and the loss of the Soyuz rocket.
The retirement of the Ariane 5, the loss of access to the Soyuz rocket after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and delays in the introduction of the Ariane 6 left Europe without its own means of launching Galileo satellites.
Twenty-eight Galileo satellites had launched to date prior to the Galileo L12 mission, all of them on Russian-built Soyuz rockets or Europe’s Ariane 5.
Ariane 5 retired in summer 2023 without a replacement source for Galileo launches.
Ariane 6 is designed to succeed Ariane 5 as Europe's heavy-lift launch system.
Ariane 5 flew 117 times between 1996 and 2023 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
Ariane 5 flew 117 times between 1996 and 2023 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
Ariane 6 is designed to succeed Ariane 5 as Europe's heavy-lift launch system.
Ariane 6 is designed to succeed Ariane 5 as Europe's heavy-lift launch system.