NEXT SPACEFLIGHT

Ariane 2

Ariane 2 was a European expendable space launch vehicle, operated by the European Space Agency (ESA) between 1986 and 1989 as part of Ariane family of rockets. The principal manufacturer for the Ariane 2 was Aérospatiale, while the lead agency for its development was the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the French government's space agency.

Development of the Ariane 2 was authorized in July 1979, months prior to the Ariane 1's first flight. Drawing heavily upon both the design and infrastructure of the Ariane 1, the new launcher was concurrently developed alongside the Ariane 3, with which it shared much of its design. It represented an advancement of the Ariane 1 rather than a replacement but was capable of lifting even heavier payloads into Geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). Developed largely within a two-year window, the Ariane 2 performed its maiden flight on 31 May 1986, actually flying after its Ariane 3 sibling.

Missions: 6
Successes: 5
Partial Failures: 0
Failures: 1
Success Streak: 5
Success Rate: 83.3%
Wiki

Configurations

Ariane 2
Image Credit: Arianespace
ESA
Status: Retired
Liftoff Thrust: 2,580 kN
Payload to GTO: 2,175 kg
Stages: 3
Strap-ons: 0
Rocket Height: 49.0 m

Launch Sites

ELA-1, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana, France
ELA-2, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana, France

Launches

Arianespace
Ariane 2 | TELE-X
Sun Apr 02, 1989 02:28 UTC
ELA-1, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana, France
Arianespace
Ariane 2 | Intelsat-5A 15
Fri Jan 27, 1989 01:21 UTC
ELA-1, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana, France
Arianespace
Ariane 2 | TDF-1
Fri Oct 28, 1988 02:17 UTC
ELA-1, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana, France
Arianespace
Ariane 2 | Intelsat 3AF13
Tue May 17, 1988 23:58 UTC
ELA-1, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana, France
Arianespace
Ariane 2 | TVSAT-1
Sat Nov 21, 1987 02:19 UTC
ELA-2, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana, France
Arianespace
Ariane 2 | Intelsat-5A 14
Sat May 31, 1986 00:53 UTC
ELA-1, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana, France