[SatNews] Airbus Defence and Space salutes 67th successful Ariane 5 launch.

Ariane 5

Airbus Defence and Space salutes the 67th straight successful launch of the workhorse Ariane 5 satellite launch vehicle from the Kourou, French Guiana, launch pad on August 20th. The latest launch—the 225th since the Ariane program began—put two communications satellites into geostationary orbit, once again demonstrating the reliability of the European launcher. 

“The fourth launch in 2015 once again highlights the expertise the Airbus Defence and Space teams and their industrial partners have developed with the Ariane 5 launcher,” said François Auque, Head of Space Systems. “These teams are now working within our joint venture with Safran— Airbus Safran Launchers—to continue on this incredible industrial adventure, which guarantees Europe independent access to space, both today and in the coming years thanks to the development of Ariane 6.”

Airbus Defence and Space, a 50 percent shareholder in Airbus Safran Launchers, is the main contributor to Ariane 5, one of the largest and most ambitious space programs in the world. The industrial network brings together more than 550 companies (more than 20 percent of which are SMEs) in 12 European countries. 

Drawing on the expertise the company has acquired and the investments it has made over a period of more than 10 years, Ariane 5 has become the most reliable commercial launcher on the global market and has increased its geostationary orbit payload capacity by almost two tonnes. Representing cutting-edge European expertise, the Ariane 5 launcher has been specially designed to inject heavy payloads into orbit.