The European space industry is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the first launch of the Ariane rocket.
On Christmas Eve, 1979, Europe finally got its own launcher to develop a space programme. One of the aims was to become a world leader in the launching of satellites. Since then about 190 Ariane rockets of all classes have been launched, with a high success rate.
Ariane is launched from the European spaceport in French Guinana. This position near the Equator is said to be ideal for launching rockets as less energy is needed to put heavy payloads into orbit from here, compared to other latitudes. After Ariane 1 came Ariane 2, 3, 4 and 5, with improved engines and bigger payload capacities.
Can be discussed here: http://eucitizens.eu/Forum/index.php?topic=1430.msg1803;topicseen#msg1803
Credits to the European Space Agency (ESA): http://www.esa.int/
nice!
YouGotTeaBagged 2 years ago 3