Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Uprated "10-ton" Ariane 5 Fails

Posted by chrisd on from the boom-boom-boom dept.

Soft writes "The latest version of the European Ariane 5 booster ("ESC-A") has failed on its first launch. Liftoff was good up to booster separation but the core stage shut down one minute afterwards or so. The rocket was supposed to lift ten metric tons (22,000 lb) to geostationary transfer orbit, versus 6.7 for the previous Ariane 5G (and 5 and 5.3 for the latest Atlas 5 and Delta 4). Arianespace planned to retire its other launchers (Ariane 4, Ariane 5G) in favor of Ariane 5 ESC-A. Next launch, of space probe Rosetta, was due in mid-January."

3 of 306 comments (clear)

  1. Super Rocket? by teamhasnoi · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    It doesn't seem to be so super to me.

  2. Re:I suspect... by uncoveror · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Any theories on which aliens did this? Was it the ones who destroyed CONTOUR, or perhaps it was the Zhti Ti Kofft.

    --
    The Uncoveror: It's the real news.
  3. "pays for" are the operative words by mangu · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    As you said, NASA pays and manages the programs. That's socialism in its truest sense. Of course, there's an "idealist" form of socialism, where the government takes from the rich and gives to the poor. And there's the "American" sort of socialism, where the government takes from the taxpayers and gives to the corporations...