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Ariane 1

Ariane 1 was the first operational European orbital launcher and established independent European access to space. Eleven vehicles flew from L01 in December 1979 through V16 in February 1986; nine completed their planned launches, including Giotto and the first SPOT mission.

Ariane 1
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Identity

Aliases
Ariane-1
Family Name
Ariane
Full Name
Ariane 1
Status
retired
Type
rocket
Variant Name
1

Details

Description
Ariane 1 was the first operational European orbital launcher and established independent European access to space. Eleven vehicles flew from L01 in December 1979 through V16 in February 1986; nine completed their planned launches, including Giotto and the first SPOT mission.
Dimensions
Diameter
…
Height
…
First Flight Year
1,979
Last Flight Year
1,986
Manufacturer
Operator
Parent Vehicle Family
Propulsion Configurations
  • Entries
    • Count
      4
      Placement
      core
      Propulsion System
      Role
      main
      Stage
      first-stage
      Variant Notes
      Four Viking 5 engines on the Ariane 1 first stage.
    • Count
      1
      Placement
      core
      Propulsion System
      Role
      main
      Stage
      second-stage
      Variant Notes
      Single Viking 4 engine on the Ariane 1 second stage.
    • Count
      1
      Placement
      upper
      Propulsion System
      Role
      upper-stage
      Stage
      third-stage
      Variant Notes
      ESA identifies the original Ariane 1 upper-stage engine as HM-7; the canonical HM7 family is used rather than substituting the later HM7B variant.
    Name
    Ariane 1 standard propulsion
    Notes
    Ariane 1's three-stage core uses four Viking 5 first-stage engines, one Viking 4 second-stage engine, and an HM-7 family third-stage engine; no strap-ons are inferred.
  • Entries
    • Count
      4
      Placement
      core
      Propulsion System
      Role
      main
      Stage
      first-stage
    • Count
      1
      Placement
      core
      Propulsion System
      Role
      main
      Stage
      second-stage
    • Count
      1
      Placement
      upper
      Propulsion System
      Role
      upper-stage
      Stage
      third-stage
      Variant Notes
      ESA identifies the Ariane 1 third-stage engine as HM-7, distinct from later HM-7B.
    Name
    Ariane 1 exact HM-7 configuration
    Notes
    ESA identifies Ariane 1 as four Viking 5 first-stage engines, one Viking 4 second-stage engine, and one HM-7 cryogenic third-stage engine; the prior HM7-family relationship is preserved.
Rocket Specs
Liftoff Mass
…
Payload Capacity
GTO
…
Reusability
expendable
Stages Count
3

Links

Official Url
https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Ariane_1_2_32
Wikipedia Url
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariane_1

Assets & Meta

Creation Time
July 13, 2026 at 10:20:07 UTC
Updated Time
August 13, 2026 at 22:56:43 UTC
Image
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