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 |
Arianespace CEO Stéphane Israël stated that Ariane 5 will be remembered as a legendary launcher.
The Ariane 5 launched a number of key science missions for the European Space Agency and cargo spacecraft for the International Space Station.
The recent Ariane 5 launch marked its 117th flight over 27 years.
The Ariane 5 was retired after a successful career becoming one of the most reliable launch vehicles available.
The only notable failure in the last 20 years of Ariane 5 operations occurred in 2018 when an incorrect value in the inertial reference system caused a payload to be placed in a recoverable orbit.
SYRACUSE 4B was launched to orbit on 2023-07-06 as a payload passenger on the final Ariane 5 launch.
Arianespace markets and operates Ariane 5 from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana.
The Ariane 5 launch on 2023-07-05 marked the 117th and final Ariane 5 launch from the European Spaceport in Kourou.
Europe temporarily has no domestic ability to launch payloads into orbit after the successful final Ariane 5 launch on 2023-07-05.
Arianespace had launched more than 1,150 satellites prior to the 2023-07-05 Ariane 5 mission.
ArianeGroup is the lead contractor for developing and producing the Ariane family of launchers and is responsible for Ariane 5 and Ariane 6 preparation operations up to lift-off.
The Ariane 5 launch on 2023-07-05 was the second launch operated by Arianespace in 2023.
Ariane 5 has placed 197 satellites in geostationary orbit out of 239 satellites deployed over its career.
Ariane 5 served 65 institutional and commercial customers from 30 countries over its career.
Arianespace operated its 347th launch with the Ariane 5 mission on 2023-07-05.
During Ariane 5 launch campaigns, Arianespace works closely with the French space agency CNES, which is the design authority for the launcher and is responsible for the satellite preparation facilities and the launch base.
The VA261 Ariane 5 deployed Heinrich-Hertz-Satellit nearly 30 minutes after liftoff.
ArianeGroup delivers a flight-ready launcher on the launch pad to its subsidiary Arianespace, which markets and operates Ariane 5 from French Guiana.
Arianespace rescheduled the Ariane 5 launch for 2023-07-04 and then delayed it an additional day because of strong upper-level winds.
Arianespace operates the Ariane 5 launcher from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana.