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Launcher
Ariane 4 was justly known as the ‘workhorse’
of the Ariane family. Since its first flight
on 15 June 1988 until the last, on 15 February
2003, it made 113 successful launches. The Ariane
4 proved ideal for launching communications
and Earth observation satellites as well as
those for scientific research.
This launcher was extremely versatile. The first
stage could hold two or four strap-on boosters
or none at all. This meant that it could lift
into orbit satellites weighing from 2000 to
nearly 4300 kg in GTO (geostationary transfer
orbit), nearly three times as much as the Ariane-3
launcher.
During its working life, Ariane
4 captured 50% of the market in launching commercial
satellites, showing that Europe can more than
hold its own in the commercial launch field.
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