July 6, 2023

[Replay] Ariane 5’s final flight (VA261)

New and final success! Relive with us the last launch in History of an Ariane 5 rocket carrying the French Defense satellite, Syracuse 4B, and a German technology demonstration satellite, Heinrich Hertz.

The last Ariane 5 rocket in history (initially scheduled for launch on 16/06/2023, then postponed to 04/07/2023) successfully lifted off from the Guiana Space Center on 05/07/2023. Thank you Ariane 5! And congratulations to all the teams who made this adventure possible.

VA261 : Flight details

Satellites: Syracuse 4B ; Heinrich Hertz
Customers: French defence procurement agency (DGA) ; German space agency (DLR)
Launch window: 12:00 a.m. - 01:05 a.m. (Paris), 7:00 p.m. - 8:05 p.m. (French Guiana)
Launch base: Guiana Space Centre

Wednesday5July

[Replay] D0: launch on 5 july

[replay] Roll-out to launch pad on 3 July

Watch the roll-out of the last Ariane 5 launcher! During this crucial step preceding launch, the vehicle is transported to the pad at the breakneck speed of… 3 to 4 km/h! You’ve guessed it: that’s because every possible precaution must be taken to avoid damaging the launcher.