Europe builds independent access to orbit.
Ariane 1, 2, 3 and 4 form a European launcher lineage mainly intended for satellites. Their story is closely linked to the Guiana Space Centre near the equator.
Ariane 1's successful debut on 24 December 1979 gives Europe an independent launch capability. Later generations progressively increase payload capacity and the flexibility of available missions.
Introduced in 1988, Ariane 4 becomes a major vehicle for commercial telecommunications. Its different configurations combine a central vehicle with boosters selected to suit the payload.
Selected representative missions; crew names belong to the flight shown.
The first Ariane launch succeeds from Kourou after several delays during the test campaign.
Ariane 4's first flight carries satellites including Meteosat-P2 and PanAmSat-1, with no people aboard.
Dates follow the days reported by the source agencies, generally in local time; the UTC day can differ. Crews belong to the selected missions, not every flight in the family.
This family establishes lasting European industrial cooperation and prepares the transition to Ariane 5.
First flight or first test of the family, including unsuccessful or suborbital attempts.
