Portal:Spaceflight/Selected article/Week 11 2008

Ariane 4 was an expendable launch system, designed by the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales and manufactured and marketed by its subsidiary Arianespace.

The development programme began in 1983 and the first successful launch was on 15 June 1988. The system became the basis for a European satellite launching programme which conduceted 113 successful missions. Ariane 4 provided a payload increase from 1700 kg from Ariane 3, with a maximum payload capacity of 4946 kg to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).

The rocket was used in a number of variants - it could be fitted with two or four additional solid or liquid fuelled booster rockets. The rocket included a satellite payload carrier system called Spelda (Structure Porteuse Externe pour Lancements Doubles Ariane, French for 'External carrying structure for Ariane double launches') for launching more than one satellite at a time.

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