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After 27 years of service, the Ariane 5 rocket made its 117th and final flight from Kourou, French Guiana, on Wednesday July 5.
On June 4, 1996, Space Europe launched its latest version of Ariane from Kourou (French Guiana). But after forty seconds, it’s the explosion. The engineers, who had been working on the project for a decade, are appalled. However, they quickly roll up their sleeves and straighten the shots. Result ? 116 launches and 27 years of successive successes.
A double launch
“We overcame this failure, we got back into the air and we made this launcher an incredible success”confides Philippe Baptiste, from the national center for space studies. Ariane 5 will dominate the world satellite market with a discovery: the dual launch. The Ariane rocket also sends European cargo ships to the international space station. She is due to retire on Wednesday July 5, after 27 years of career.