List of Ariane launches (2020–2029)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of launches performed or scheduled to be performed by Ariane rocket family between 2020 and 2029. During this time, the Ariane 5 was retired in favour of the Ariane 6.
| List of Ariane launches |
|---|
| 1979–1989 · 1990–1999 · 2000–2009 · 2010–2019 · 2020–2029 |
Four Ariane 6 launches took place in 2025, eight are planned for 2026, with an eventual ramp to eleven launches per year planned, an increase over the targeted seven annual launches of Ariane 5.[1][2]
Launch statistics
Launch history
Ariane 5 (2020–2023)
| Flight No. | Date and Time (UTC) |
Version, Serial No. |
Launch site | Payload | Payload mass | Orbit | Customer | Launch outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VA251 | 16 January 2020 21:05 |
Ariane 5 ECA+ 5110 |
Guiana, ELA‑3 | Eutelsat Konnect GSAT-30 |
6,976 kg | GTO | Eutelsat ISRO |
Success[citation needed] |
| Eutelsat communications satellite and ISRO communications satellite. | ||||||||
| VA252 | 18 February 2020 22:18 |
Ariane 5 ECA+ 5111 |
Guiana, ELA‑3 | JCSAT-17 GEO-KOMPSAT 2B |
9,236 kg | GTO | SKY Perfect JSAT KARI |
Success[citation needed] |
| SKY Perfect JSAT communications satellite and KARI meteorological satellite. | ||||||||
| VA253 | 15 August 2020 22:04 |
Ariane 5 ECA+ 5112 |
Guiana, ELA‑3 | Galaxy 30 MEV-2 BSAT-4b |
9,703 kg | GTO | Intelsat Northrop Grumman BSAT |
Success |
| Flight VA253 was planned to launch in June 2020.[3] However, launch campaign activities were significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. To prevent the spread in French Guiana and protect Centre Spatial Guyanais employees, all launch activities were suspended on 16 March 2020.[4][5][6] Operations for Vega flight VV16 and Ariane 5 flight VA253 could not resume until 28 April 2020.[7][8][9] VA253 activities were listed among the top priorities at the reopening of the Guiana Space Center on 11 May 2020.[10] The launch was rescheduled for end of July 2020[8][11][12] to place the satellites into a geostationary transfer orbit from which they will eventually be placed into geostationary orbit through their own propulsion. The flight was again aborted on 28 July 2020, due to a "red" warning in the system, resulting from a sensor problem related to LH2 tank on the core stage.
American satellite operator Intelsat and Japanese Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation (B-SAT) are the customers for Ariane flight VA253.[11][12] Galaxy 30 is a communications satellite built by Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems (formerly Orbital ATK) on the GEOStar-2 platform for Intelsat. It has C-band, Ku-band, Ka-band payloads, as well as a WAAS payload for a mass of 3,325 kilograms (7,330 lb).[13] Built in satellite manufacturing facility in Dulles, Virginia, it will primarily serve video markets in North America.[14] As per Intelsat/Arianespace contract announced in January 2018,[15] Galaxy 30 would share the upper berth of the Ariane 5 ECA rocket with MEV-2, which is a Northrop Grumman second satellite servicing vehicle, identical to MEV-1. With a mass of 2,326 kilograms (5,128 lb), it would begin a five-year mission to extend the lifetime of Intelsat 10-02.[16] MEV-2 received FCC authorization on 25 March 2020.[17] BSAT-4b is the second communications satellite of the fourth generation B-SAT, built by SSL (company) on its SSL 1300 platform. It has 24 Ku-band transponders and mass of 3,520 kilograms (7,760 lb).[18] | ||||||||
| VA254 | 30 July 2021 21:00 |
Ariane 5 ECA+ 5113 |
Guiana, ELA‑3 | Eutelsat Quantum Star One D2 |
10,515 kg | GTO | Eutelsat Star One |
Success |
| Brazilian Satellite operator Embratel and European Eutelsat were customers on the VA254 flight.[19]
Eutelsat Quantum is a European re-programmable telecommunications satellite equipped with Ku-band payload, developed in a public-private partnership between the European Space Agency (ESA), Eutelsat and Airbus Defence and Space.[16] It had a launch mass of approximately 3,461 kilograms (7,630 lb) and a design lifetime of 15 years.[20] Star One D2 is a telecommunications satellite equipped with C-, Ku-, Ka- and X-band payloads for high-speed telecommunications, television broadcast and fast broadband in South America, Mexico, Central America, and parts of the Atlantic Ocean.[13] It had a launch mass of approximately 6,190 kilograms (13,650 lb) and a design lifetime of 15 years.[20] The target orbit was a geosynchronous transfer orbit with an apogee altitude of 250 kilometres (160 mi) and a perigee altitude of 35,726 kilometres (22,199 mi), at an inclination of 3°.[20] The mission was planned to last 36 minutes and 24 seconds.[20][a] | ||||||||
| VA255 | 24 October 2021 02:10 |
Ariane 5 ECA+ 5115 |
Guiana, ELA‑3 | SES-17 Syracuse 4A |
10,264 kg | GTO | SES S.A. DGA |
Success |
| SES S.A. communications satellite and Direction générale de l'armement military communications satellite. | ||||||||
| VA256 | 25 December 2021 12:20 |
Ariane 5 ECA+ 5114 |
Guiana, ELA‑3 | James Webb Space Telescope | 6,161.4 kg | Sun–Earth L2 | NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI | Success |
| James Webb Space Telescope. | ||||||||
| VA257 | 22 June 2022 21:50 |
Ariane 5 ECA+ 5116 |
Guiana, ELA‑3 | MEASAT-3d GSAT-24 |
9,829 kg | GTO | MEASAT NSIL / Tata Play |
Success |
| MEASAT communications satellite and NSIL communications satellite. | ||||||||
| VA258 | 7 September 2022 21:45 |
Ariane 5 ECA+ 5117 |
Guiana, ELA‑3 | Eutelsat Konnect VHTS | 6,400 kg | GTO | Eutelsat | Success |
| Eutelsat communications satellite. | ||||||||
| VA259 | 13 December 2022 20:30 |
Ariane 5 ECA+ 5118 |
Guiana, ELA‑3 | Galaxy 35 Galaxy 36 MTG-I1 |
10,972 kg | GTO | Intelsat EUMETSAT |
Success |
| Two Intelsat communications satellites and EUMETSAT meteorological satellite. | ||||||||
| VA260 | 14 April 2023 12:14 |
Ariane 5 ECA+ 5120 |
Guiana, ELA‑3 | Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) | 5,963 kg | Jovicentric | ESA | Success |
| Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer. | ||||||||
| VA261 | 5 July 2023 22:00 |
Ariane 5 ECA+ 5119 |
Guiana, ELA‑3 | Syracuse 4B (Comsat-NG 2)[22] Heinrich Hertz (H2Sat) |
6,950 kg[23] | GTO | DGA DLR |
Success |
| Ariane 5's last mission.[24] | ||||||||
Ariane 6 (2024–present)
| Flight No. | Date and Time (UTC) |
Version, Serial No. |
Launch site | Payload | Payload mass | Orbit | Customer | Launch outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VA262 | 9 July 2024 19:00 |
Ariane 62 L6001[25] |
Guiana, ELA‑4 | Multiple rideshare payloads | 1,600 kg (3,500 lb)[26] | LEO | Various | Partial failure |
| Maiden flight of Ariane 6. It was a flight test carrying a mass simulator plus a number of small cubesats and other experiments as rideshare payloads. Rocket launched successfully to orbit and upper stage performed a second burn to release cubesats. During attempt to perform a third burn to deorbit the upper stage, the rocket's auxiliary propulsion system failed. This failure prevented the upper stage from relighting.[27][28][29][30] | ||||||||
| VA263 | 6 March 2025 16:24 |
Ariane 62 L6002[31] |
Guiana, ELA‑4 | CSO-3 | 3,655 kg (8,058 lb) | SSO | CNES / DGA | Success |
| French military reconnaissance satellite. First recompensed launch for Ariane 6. After releasing the satellite following two burns of the upper stage, the Vinci engine successfully completed a third burn to reenter Earth's atmosphere, a maneuver that had failed in the first Ariane 6 flight.[32] | ||||||||
| VA264 | 13 August 2025 00:37[33] |
Ariane 62 L6003 |
Guiana, ELA‑4 | MetOp-SG A1/Sentinel-5A | 4,040 kg (8,910 lb) | SSO | EUMETSAT | Success |
| Second-generation polar-orbiting meteorological satellite system to replace the first-generation METOP satellites. First Ariane 6 night launch.[34] | ||||||||
| VA265 | 4 November 2025 21:02[35] |
Ariane 62 L6005 |
Guiana, ELA‑4 | Sentinel-1D | 2,184 kg (4,815 lb) | SSO | ESA | Success |
| Radar imaging satellite. Second of two additional satellites in the Sentinel-1 constellation, part of the Copernicus programme on Earth observation. The satellite is equipped with a C-SAR sensor, capable of providing high-resolution imagery regardless of weather conditions. | ||||||||
| VA266 | 17 December 2025 05:01[36] |
Ariane 62 L6004 |
Guiana, ELA‑4 | Galileo L14 | 1,466 kg (3,232 lb) | MEO | ESA | Success |
| FM33 and FM34 satellites for Galileo GNSS. | ||||||||
| VA267 | 12 February 2026 16:45 |
Ariane 64L L6006 |
Guiana, ELA‑4 | LeoSat × 32 (LE-01)[37] | ~20,000 kg (44,000 lb)[38] | LEO | Amazon (Amazon Leo) | Success |
| First Ariane 64 launch, first use of long fairing, and first Ariane launch for Amazon Leo, formerly known as Project Kuiper. | ||||||||
| VA268 | 30 April 2026 08:57 |
Ariane 64L | Guiana, ELA‑4 | LeoSat × 32 (LE-02) | ~20,000 kg (44,000 lb)[39] | LEO | Amazon (Amazon Leo) | Success |
| Last scheduled use of P120C boosters for Amazon Leo. Payload delivered 12 March 2026.[40][41][42] First Ariane 64 night launch. | ||||||||
Planned launches
| Date Time (UTC) |
Type | Payload | Orbit | Customers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2026[43] | Ariane 64L Block 2 | LeoSat × 36 (LE-03) | LEO | Amazon (Amazon Leo) |
| First Ariane 64 Block 2 launch using P160C boosters. | ||||
| August 2026[44] | Ariane 62[45] | MTG-I2[46] | GTO | EUMETSAT |
| October 2026[47] | Ariane 62 | MetOp-SG-B1[48] | SSO | EUMETSAT |
| Q4 2026[49] | Ariane 62 | Galileo L15 | MEO | ESA |
| Two FOC satellites | ||||
| January 2027[50][51][52] | Ariane 62[53] | PLATO | Sun–Earth L2 | ESA |
| Q1 2027 [49] | Ariane 62 | Galileo L16 | MEO | ESA |
| Two FOC satellites | ||||
| Q1 2027[54] | Ariane 64 | Intelsat 45 | GTO | Intelsat |
| H2 2027[55] | Ariane 6 | NEXUS-1 | GTO | Katalyst |
| 2027[56][57] | Ariane 64 | Optus-11 | GTO | Optus |
| 2027[58] | Ariane 64 | Earth Return Orbiter | Areocentric | ESA |
| 2027[59] | Ariane 62 Block 2[49] | Galileo L17 | MEO | ESA |
| First launch of Galileo Second Generation (GSG) satellites. | ||||
| 2027[60] | Ariane 62 Block 2[49] | Galileo L18 | MEO | ESA |
| Two GSG satellites | ||||
| 2027[61] | Ariane 6 | Hellas Sat 5 | GTO | Hellas Sat |
| 2028–29[62] | Ariane 64 | Comet Interceptor | Sun–Earth L2 | ESA |
| 2029–31[63] | Ariane 62 | ARIEL | Sun–Earth L2 | ESA |
| 2031[64] | Ariane 64 | Argonaut Mission 1 | TLI | ESA |
| 2035[65] | Ariane 64[66] | Athena | Sun–Earth L2, Halo orbit |
ESA |
| 2035[67] | Ariane 6 | LISA | Heliocentric | ESA |
| TBD[68] | TBD[68] | Amazon Leo (LE-04 to LE-18) | LEO | Amazon (Amazon Leo) |
| Satellite internet constellation. Remainder of the 18 contracted Ariane 6 launches for Amazon Leo.[69] | ||||
| TBD[70] | Ariane 62 | EDRS-D | MEO | ESA |
| TBD[71] | Ariane 62 | Electra | GTO | SES S.A. / ESA |
| TBD[71] | Ariane 62 | Eutelsat ×3 | GTO | Eutelsat |
| TBD[72] | Ariane 64 | Multi-Launch Service (MLS) #1 rideshare mission | GTO | TBA |
| TBD[73][74] | Ariane 6 | Uhura-1 (Node-1) Rideshare[75] | GTO | Skyloom |
Notes
- Statistics for flight VA254:[21]
- 330th Arianespace launch (6th in 2021)
- 254th Ariane launch (1st in 2021)
- 110th Ariane 5 launch (1st in 2021)
- 947th and 948th satellites put in orbit by Arianespace (151st and 152nd in 2021)
- 12th Embratel satellite launched by Arianespace
- 36th Eutelsat satellite launched by Arianespace
- 85th consecutive rated operation of the Vulcain 2 engine
- 110th consecutive rated operation of the EAP solid rocket boosters
- 150th consecutive rated operation of the HM7B engine
