Components of an Ariane 5G launcher

Artist's view of an Ariane 5G launch vehicle showing its main components. The generic version of the Ariane 5 family of launchers, the Ariane 5G can lift up to 6.7 tonnes of payload into geostationary transfer orbit. The first commerical flight of an Ariane 5G took place in December 1999 when it placed ESA’s XMM-Newton X-ray observatory into a highly elliptical orbit.

The Ariane 5G can carry a wide range of payloads to all kinds of orbits. Payloads include satellites, space probes, Sun-synchronous Earth observation platforms and Autonomous Transfer Vehicles for resupply and reboost missions to the International Space Station.