Hyperdrive
Arianespace Launches Its Last Ariane 5 Rocket Into Space
- Rocket sent $10 billion James Webb Telescope to orbit
- Next generation Arian 6 expected to fly by end of year
The Ariane 5 rocket on the launch pad of Europe's Spaceport, the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana.
Photographer: Jody Amiet/AFP/Getty Images
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The last Ariane 5 rocket launched Wednesday, capping off a two-plus decade run for Europe’s workhorse vehicle that once sent the nearly-$10 billion James Webb Space Telescope into orbit.
The Ariane 5, operated by the European commercial launch provider Arianespace SA, successfully left French Guiana with a pair of satellites for the German Space Agency and the French Directorate of Armaments.