Launch Vehicles

Ariane 1

Europe

Citation Formats

General Reference

Space and Astronomy Atlas. "Ariane 1." Accessed September 1, 2026. https://dev-space.interactiveatlas.org/launch-vehicles/ariane-1.

APA Style

Space and Astronomy Atlas. (n.d.). Ariane 1. Retrieved September 1, 2026, from https://dev-space.interactiveatlas.org/launch-vehicles/ariane-1

BibTeX

@misc{spaceandastronomyatlas-ariane-1,
  author = {Space and Astronomy Atlas},
  title = {Ariane 1},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://dev-space.interactiveatlas.org/launch-vehicles/ariane-1},
  note = {Accessed September 1, 2026}
}

The first launch vehicle developed by the European Space Agency, giving Europe independent access to geostationary orbit for the first time. Its success established Arianespace, the world's first commercial launch services company, founded the following year to market Ariane launches to satellite operators worldwide.

Facts

Vehicle Class

Medium-lift expendable launch vehicle 1

Manufacturer

CNES / Aerospatiale, under ESA contract 1

First Flight Date

1979-12-24 1

Status

Retired in 1986, succeeded by progressively larger Ariane variants. 1

Cross-Tradition Connections

Operated By

European Space Agency

Source European Space Agency: History

Sources

1. European Space Agency: History

European Space Agency

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