Arianespace will launch its final Ariane 5 rocket on June 16th. The mission aims to launch two satellites: Syracuse 4B, built by Airbus Defence and Space for a French government defence role, and the Heinrich-Hertz-Mission, built by OHB for the German space agency DLR.

The flight represents the end of the Ariane 5, a system which has launched 116 times.

Syracuse 4B will provide communications for the French armed forces.

The Heinrich-Hertz craft will test and evaluate new technologies for satellite communication, including on-board communications processing.

However, the long and illustrious series of missions for Ariane 5 (its last launch failure was back in 2002) now means an inevitable gap in European heavy-lift launching. Its replacement, the much-delayed Ariane 6 craft (pictured), seems not likely to make a debut test flight until the early part of 2024.

A recent report from the key partners in Ariane 6’s development suggests that assembly of the new rocket will not start until November this year.

Other posts by :

1. SES announces €0.25c dividend
2. Russia “blinding and destroying” German satellites
3. Bank: AST, Starlink, Kuiper targeting $200bn market
4. Rivada: Is no news good news?
5. SES celebrates Intelsat acquisition
6. Pakistan halts broadband direct-from satellite
7. India stymies Starlink launch
8. Starlink, AST SpaceMobile race for cellular consumers
9. Trouble ahoy for foreign D2D satellites over India?

Categories: Articles, Satellite

Tags: Airbus, Ariane, Ariane 6, Arianespace, satellite