Ariane 501 | Cluster
The maiden Ariane 5 qualification flight attempted to launch ESA's four original Cluster spacecraft for coordinated study of Earth's magnetosphere. The launcher lost guidance and broke up shortly after liftoff, destroying the payloads.
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Identity
- Aliases
- Ariane 5 flight 501Cluster launch attempt
- Name
- Ariane 501 | Cluster
- Status
- failed
Details
- Astronauts
- -
- Description
- The maiden Ariane 5 qualification flight attempted to launch ESA's four original Cluster spacecraft for coordinated study of Earth's magnetosphere. The launcher lost guidance and broke up shortly after liftoff, destroying the payloads.
- End Date
- 1996-06-04
- Launch Site
- Outcome
- Launch vehicle lost about 40 seconds into the flight; all four Cluster spacecraft were destroyed
- Programs
- Start Date
- 1996-06-04
- Vehicle Families
Links
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- July 18, 2026 at 21:58:06 UTC
- Updated Time
- August 25, 2026 at 06:25:16 UTC
- Image
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Other
- Affiliations
- Search Name
- Ariane 501 | Cluster Ariane 5 flight 501 Cluster launch attempt
- Space Stations
- -
- Vehicles