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Ariane 2

Ariane 2 was a lengthened, higher-performance three-stage evolution of Ariane 1 for heavier geostationary payloads. Six vehicles flew from 1986 through 1989, with five successful missions after the third-stage ignition failure on maiden flight V18.

Ariane 2
NASA / Bill Ingalls · NASA asset; NASA Image Library item NHQ202112250015 identifies the exact Ariane 5 launch image and credits NASA / Bill Ingalls. NASA’s current Images and Media Usage Guidelines generally permit factual or informational/editorial use with NASA attribution and without implying NASA endorsement; third-party material identified as copyright-protected remains separately restricted. NASA insignia, logotype, identifiers, visible partner marks, and any commercial, promotional, merchandise, or other protected-rights use remain separately clearance-sensitive; verify before such use. · Source
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Identity

Aliases
Ariane-2
Family Name
Ariane
Full Name
Ariane 2
Status
retired
Type
rocket
Variant Name
2

Details

Description
Ariane 2 was a lengthened, higher-performance three-stage evolution of Ariane 1 for heavier geostationary payloads. Six vehicles flew from 1986 through 1989, with five successful missions after the third-stage ignition failure on maiden flight V18.
Dimensions
Diameter
…
Height
…
First Flight Year
1,986
Last Flight Year
1,989
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 power the Ariane 2 first stage.
    • Count
      1
      Placement
      core
      Propulsion System
      Role
      main
      Stage
      second-stage
      Variant Notes
      One Viking 4 engine powers the Ariane 2 second stage.
    • Count
      1
      Placement
      upper
      Propulsion System
      Role
      upper-stage
      Stage
      third-stage
      Variant Notes
      One HM7-family cryogenic engine powers the Ariane 2 third stage; exact HM7B attribution remains unmodeled.
    Name
    Ariane 2
    Notes
    Exact Ariane 2 three-stage propulsion stack using the documented Viking 5, Viking 4, and HM7 family identities; HM7B remains unmodeled because the reviewed primary source does not establish that exact variant for Ariane 2.
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_2

Assets & Meta

Creation Time
July 13, 2026 at 10:20:12 UTC
Updated Time
August 1, 2026 at 11:37:13 UTC
Image
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