Page 51 - Life beyond the Karman

ARIANE 5
Ariane 5 was Europe’s principal launch system for over 25 years, flying from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana between 1996 and 2023. Notable payloads included ESA’s comet-chasing Rosetta mission, 12 of Europe’s Galileo navigation satellites (orbited by only three launches), and the James Webb Space Telescope. Juice, the final ESA mission launched by Ariane 5, was sent to explore Jupiter and its icy moons.
This heavy launcher doubled the mass-to-orbit capacity of the Ariane 4, which flew from 1988 to 2003. Like its predecessor, Ariane 5 was a favourite of the telecommunications industry due to its ability to place large payloads in very high geosynchronous orbits. Ariane 5’s increased capacity allowed it to orbit two large telecommunications satellites on a single launch or send very large payloads into deep space.
Ariane 5 left a legacy by delivering five Automated Transfer Vehicle resupply craft to the International Space Station.
Ariane 6, developed by Ariane Group, the industrial prime contractor and design authority, and its European industrial partners, is expected to outperform Ariane 5. Its modification combines proven solutions with innovation to meet evolving market requirements while benefiting from the Ariane programme’s unparalleled reliability.
Long March 2F
The Long March 2F is a Chinese rocket used to launch a crewed Shenzhou spacecraft into orbit. It is part of the Long March Rockets family and is designed to carry human passengers. The Long March 2F is a two-stage version of the Long March 2E rocket, which was based on the Long March 2C launch vehicle. It is launched from the SLS complex at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The Long March 2F made its first flight on 19 November 1999, carrying the Shenzhou 1 spacecraft.
On 29 December 2002, Shenzhou 4 was launched as a final uncrewed test of the spacecraft before the first crewed mission. Before this, all missions had been uncrewed.
On 15 October 2003, China launched its first crewed mission, Shenzhou 5, into space using a Long March 2F rocket. Since then, the rocket has been used for numerous additional missions, with the most recent being the third test flight of a reusable experimental spacecraft.
The Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3)
The Launch Vehicle Mark-3, or LVM3 (formerly known as the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III, or GSLV Mk III), is a three-stage medium-lift launch vehicle developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation. It was initially intended to launch communication satellites into geostationary orbit.
On 5 June, ISRO completed the first orbital test launch of LVM3. In 2022, LMV3 launched its first batch of 36 satellites from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
The LVM3 M4 vehicle successfully launched Chandrayaan-3 into orbit from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on 14 July 2023. The spacecraft landed on the moon’s south pole on 5 August 2023, making it the first lander to do so after entering lunar orbit.
The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) is an Indian expendable launch system developed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organization. The project was initiated in the 1990s when India recognized the need for its launch capability for geosynchronous satellites so that it could become independent from other launch providers.
Many other rockets are not mentioned here such as the Atlas V, the Delta II, the Pegasus, Taurus and others.
LIFE BEYOND THE KÁRMÁN LINE - OUTER SPACE
49