Arianespace

🚀 Before a spacecraft can be launched, it first has to arrive at Europe’s Spaceport.

Travelling by sea or air in a specially designed transport container, the spacecraft is taken to the Payload Preparation Complex, where its launch campaign begins.

Inside a controlled clean-room environment, teams open the container and carry out a series of inspections to confirm that the spacecraft has arrived in the expected condition.

From there, Arianespace coordinates the different stages of the launch campaign through to liftoff.

#LaunchingAmbitions

Not every mission is meant to orbit the Earth. 🌍

Some need to go much further.

2 hours and 14 minutes with Ariane 5. 786 days exploring a comet. ☄️

Rosetta lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport aboard Ariane 5 on 2 March 2004, beginning a journey that would take it billions of kilometres across the Solar System.

After reaching comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014, Rosetta spent 786 days - almost 2 years and 2 months - alongside it, observing the comet up close and gathering an unprecedented wealth of scientific data.

Ten years ago, Rosetta’s extraordinary mission came to an end on the surface of the comet it had travelled so far to explore.

From just over two hours with Ariane 5 to more than two years studying 67P, one launch marked the beginning of an extraordinary scientific journey.

#LaunchingAmbitions

Some journeys go much further than others. 🚀

Over nearly two decades, Ariane 5 launched some of the most ambitious scientific missions ever entrusted to Arianespace.

In 2004, Rosetta began its journey to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Five years later, Herschel and Planck set off for L2, around 1.5 million kilometres from Earth.

Then came BepiColombo, launched towards Mercury in 2018, followed by the James Webb Space Telescope in 2021, also heading for L2.

JUICE is back near Earth, three years after its launch on Ariane 5.

The ESA spacecraft lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in April 2023, beginning its journey towards Jupiter and its icy moons.

Its Earth flyby is part of a carefully planned series of gravity assists. By using the gravity of planets along its route, JUICE can adjust its trajectory and gain the energy needed for its journey without carrying the propellant that would otherwise be required.

The spacecraft will travel nearly 6 billion kilometres before reaching Jupiter in 2031.

#LaunchingAmbition
@esa @ArianeGroup @CNES @EuropeSpacePort

🚀 33 years ago, Ariane 4 launched SPOT-3.

On 26 September 1993, an Ariane 40 lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport, placing the Earth observation satellite SPOT-3 into Sun-synchronous orbit.

SPOT-3 was part of the SPOT Earth observation programme, providing high-resolution imagery for applications including agriculture, environmental monitoring, cartography and disaster management.

The SPOT satellites could also point their imaging instruments away from the vertical, allowing the same area to be observed from different angles and enabling stereoscopic imagery and 3D terrain modelling.

Flight 59 was one of the Ariane 4 missions that supported the development of Europe’s Earth observation capabilities throughout the 1990s.

#LaunchingAmbitions

One launcher. Many missions. 🚀

Satellites, constellations, spacecraft… Every mission comes with its own requirements, from payload configuration to target orbit.

Ariane 6 was designed to adapt to them, carrying different types of payloads for missions ranging from telecommunications and Earth observation to science and exploration.

No two missions are the same.

#Ariane6 #LaunchingAmbitions

That’s a wrap on the World Space Business Week in Paris!

A few days of conversations with customers, partners and space industry leaders about the future of launch services and the evolving needs of the global space market.

A highlight of the week was another step forward in our cooperation with @aerospacelab_, with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to explore future launch opportunities for its missions and those of its European customers.

And above all, it was a great opportunity to bring our customers and partners together and look ahead to the missions to come.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to the conversations throughout the week.

#LaunchingAmbitions #Ariane6 #WSBW @Novaspace_

Arianespace and Aerospacelab have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore new launch opportunities for Aerospacelab’s future missions and those of its customers.

Under this agreement, Aerospacelab plans in particular to use Ariane 64 to deploy satellite fleets, primarily serving European institutional and commercial missions.

By working together at an early stage of future satellite programmes, Arianespace and Aerospacelab will explore the launch scenarios and mission configurations best suited to their characteristics and deployment schedules.

A new cooperation to anticipate future launch needs and support the ambitions of European space programmes.

Find out more on our website : arianespace.pulse.ly/znznc4vqfc

#LaunchingAmbitions #Ariane6 #WSBW

@aerospacelab_

Arianespace is at the World Space Business Week in Paris this week, joining customers, partners and space industry leaders from around the world.

As the global launch market continues to evolve, the week provides a key opportunity to discuss Arianespace’s latest developments, commercial momentum and outlook for the launch market.

At the heart of these discussions is a key question: how can launch providers scale access to space while adapting to growing and evolving demand? Arianespace CEO David Cavaillolès will share his perspective on this topic today during the event:

📍 Normandy Room
🕒 14:45–15:35

See you at WSBW!

#LaunchingAmbitions

Day 2 at the International Space Summit in Paris 🚀

New missions for Ariane 6, with contracts confirming its commercial momentum across a wide range of missions.

@EutelsatGroup has selected Arianespace for two Ariane 64 launches to support the renewal of its OneWeb constellation.

AscendArc has selected Arianespace to launch its first mission, KOREASAT 9, a high-throughput geostationary satellite built for KT SAT that will help extend broadband connectivity across the Asia-Pacific region.

A busy first day for Arianespace at the International Space Summit in Paris, with new agreements for Ariane 6 and future cooperation with partners across the space sector.

🚀 Amazon Leo has ordered six additional Ariane 64 launches, bringing the total number of missions planned with Arianespace to 24 by 2031.

🛰️ Arianespace and ICEYE have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore opportunities to cooperate on launching ICEYE’s SAR Earth observation satellites aboard Ariane 6, particularly for European governmental and institutional missions.

🚀 A MoU with AgenaSpace opens the way for future missions integrating the Autonomous RocketPack orbital transfer vehicle into Ariane 6. It could enable Arianespace to offer customers an end-to-end solution, from launch to their final operational orbit.

🇪🇺 With EnduroSat, Arianespace has signed a MoU combining European expertise in satellite launch, deployment and in-orbit operations. EnduroSat plans to book Arianespace launch services from 2029.

Four agreements, from new Ariane 6 launches to future services and cooperation.

Find out more about today’s announcements on the Arianespace website: arianespace.pulse.ly/3yoq3hnk4t

More announcements to come tomorrow from the International Space Summit.

#LaunchingAmbitions #InternationalSpaceSummit
@AmazonLeo @iceye_global Agenaspace @EnduroSat

Tomorrow, Arianespace will be at the International Space Summit in Paris.

Over two days, the Summit will bring together key players from across the space sector to discuss the future of the industry, new opportunities and the challenges ahead.

For Arianespace, it will also be an opportunity to meet with customers and partners, and to look ahead to the missions and collaborations that will shape the coming years.

Follow us over the next two days for updates from the International Space Summit.

#LaunchingAmbition #InternationalSpaceSummit

🚀 Ariane 6 has now flown to geostationary transfer orbit.

With VA270 and MTG-I2 satellite, Ariane 6 successfully completed its first mission to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), adding a new orbit to its flight record.

The mission demonstrated Ariane 6’s ability to serve geostationary missions, alongside the missions it already performs.

A further step in the ramp-up of Ariane 6 and its missions for institutional and commercial customers.

#LaunchingAmbitions

Today, BepiColombo’s Mercury Transfer Module separated from the spacecraft, marking a major milestone nearly eight years after the mission began aboard Ariane 5.

On 20 October 2018, Ariane 5 launched BepiColombo from Europe’s Spaceport and placed it on an Earth-escape trajectory at 10.99 km/s, nearly 40,000 km/h. It was the first time an Ariane 5 ECA had performed this type of mission.

Since then, the ESA-JAXA mission has travelled billions of kilometres through the inner Solar System to reach Mercury.

As the mission enters its final approach, we’re proud to have played a part in this extraordinary journey.

#BepiColombo #LaunchingAmbitions

@esa @JAXA_jp

🚀 29 years ago, Ariane 4 carried weather monitoring into a new era.

On 2 September 1997, Ariane 44LP lifted off from Europe's Spaceport on mission V99, carrying two satellites: Meteosat-7 and HOT BIRD 3.

For Meteosat-7, this launch marked the beginning of an important mission. As part of the Meteosat Transition Programme, the satellite helped ensure the continuity of Europe's meteorological observations between the first generation of Meteosat satellites and the arrival of Meteosat Second Generation.

From 1998 to 2006, Meteosat-7 provided continuous full-disc Earth imagery from geostationary orbit, supporting weather forecasting across Europe, Africa and beyond.

Mission V99 is one of the many examples of how reliable access to space helps deliver services that millions of people rely on every day.

#LaunchingAmbitions
@eumetsat @esa

🎬 Go behind the scenes of mission VA270.

From the final preparations to lift-off, every launch is the result of countless operations carried out by teams across Europe's Spaceport.

Relive mission VA270 through exclusive footage capturing some of the most memorable moments of Ariane 62's first mission to geostationary transfer orbit.

Watch the highlights.
#Arianespace #VA270 #Ariane6 @eumetsat @esa @Thales_Alenia_S @ArianeGroup @CNES @EuropeSpacePort

🚀 Some moments deserve a second look.

Mission VA270 marked Ariane 6's first flight to geostationary transfer orbit, successfully delivering the MTG-I2 meteorological satellite into its planned trajectory.

Relive lift-off through our official photographs from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.

#Arianespace #VA270 #Ariane6
@eumetsat @esa @Thales_Alenia_S @ArianeGroup @CNES @EuropeSpacePort

✅ Mission accomplished for VA270.

Arianespace has successfully launched MTG-I2 aboard Ariane 6, completing its first mission to geostationary transfer orbit.

The MTG-I2 satellite has been developed by ESA for EUMETSAT and built by a European industrial consortium led by Thales Alenia Space, with OHB System and Leonardo as main partners. The MTG-I2 satellite will strengthen Europe's next-generation geostationary meteorological satellite system, supporting weather forecasting, climate monitoring and the early detection of severe weather events.

This successful mission is the result of the expertise and commitment of the teams at Arianespace, ESA, EUMETSAT and the European industrial consortium, working together to ensure the continuity of Europe's operational meteorological services.

Read the full press release: arianespace.pulse.ly/o27pphd2od

#Arianespace #VA270 #Ariane6
@eumetsat @esa @Thales_Alenia_S @ArianeGroup @CNES @EuropeSpacePort

🚀 Ariane 6 has lifted off.

Mission VA270 is underway.

Ariane 62 has successfully lifted off from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, carrying the MTG-I2 meteorological satellite on Ariane 6's first mission to geostationary transfer orbit.

Once in service, MTG-I2 will provide enhanced imagery to support the early detection of severe storms, weather forecasting and climate monitoring across Europe.

🎥 Watch the replay and relive every moment of lift-off.

#Arianespace #VA270 #Ariane6
@eumetsat @esa @Thales_Alenia_S @ArianeGroup @CNES @EuropeSpacePort