Ariane 2
European Space Agency expendable rocket / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ariane 2 was a European expendable space launch vehicle, operated by the European Space Agency (ESA) between 1986 and 1989 as part of Ariane family of rockets. The principal manufacturer for the Ariane 2 was Aérospatiale, while the lead agency for its development was the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the French government's space agency.[4]
This rocket article contains payload capacity, but does not include orbital altitude or inclination, which greatly affects the capacity. |
Function | Medium launch vehicle |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Aérospatiale for ESA and Arianespace |
Size | |
Height | 49.13 m (161.2 ft) |
Diameter | 3.8 m (12 ft) |
Mass | 215,000 kg (474,000 lb)[1] |
Stages | 3 |
Capacity | |
Payload to GTO | |
Mass | 2,175 kg (4,795 lb)[2] |
Associated rockets | |
Family | Ariane |
Launch history | |
Status | Retired |
Launch sites | Guiana Space Centre ELA-1 |
Total launches | 6[2] |
Success(es) | 5 |
Failure(s) | 1 |
First flight | 31 May 1986 |
Last flight | 2 April 1989 |
Type of passengers/cargo | Tele-X TV-SAT 1 |
First stage – L-140[3] | |
Height | 19.09 m (62.6 ft) |
Diameter | 3.80 m (12.5 ft) |
Gross mass | 165.89 tonnes (182.86 tons) |
Powered by | Viking 5B |
Maximum thrust | 2,580 kN (580,000 lbf) |
Specific impulse | 2,376 N‑s/kg (242.3 s) |
Burn time | 138 s |
Propellant | UH 25 / N2O4 |
Second stage – L-33[3] | |
Height | 11.47 m (37.6 ft) |
Diameter | 2.60 m (8 ft 6 in) |
Gross mass | 39.41 tonnes (43.44 tons) |
Powered by | Viking 4B |
Maximum thrust | 784.8 kN (176,400 lbf) (vacuum) |
Specific impulse | 2,851 N‑s/kg (290.7 s) |
Burn time | 128.9 s |
Propellant | UH 25 / N2O4 |
Third stage – H-10[3] | |
Height | 9.89 m (32.4 ft) |
Diameter | 2.60 m (8 ft 6 in) |
Gross mass | 12.74 tonnes (14.04 tons) |
Powered by | HM7B |
Maximum thrust | 64.2 kN (14,400 lbf) |
Specific impulse | 4,336 N‑s/kg (442.1 s) |
Burn time | 729 s |
Propellant | LH2 / LOX |
Development of the Ariane 2 was authorised in July 1979, months prior to the Ariane 1's first flight. Drawing heavily upon both the design and infrastructure of the Ariane 1, the new launcher was concurrently developed alongside the Ariane 3, with which it shared much of its design. It represented an advancement of the Ariane 1 rather than a replacement, but was capable of lifting even heavier payloads into Geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). Developed largely within a two-year window, the Ariane 2 performed its maiden flight on 31 May 1986, actually flying after its Ariane 3 sibling. During its brief service life, the final launch of the Ariane 2 having been conducted on 2 April 1989, the Ariane family had become increasingly commercially competitive, becoming the market leading heavy launch vehicle in the world by the late 1980s.