Since 1979, Europe has had its own access to space with the highly successful series of Ariane launchers. Today’s Ariane 5 has a greater capacity and can carry several satellites at a time, placing payloads of up to 10 tons towards geostationary orbit, and 20 tons into a Low Earth Orbit.
To maintain the competitiveness of Ariane 5 in the commercial market, ESA
is preparing a more powerful and versatile version of the launcher, Ariane 5 Mid-life Evolution. This vehicle will respond to the need for heavier payload and reignition capabilities for more complex mission.
This modernised version of Ariane 5 will replace current ones within the next decade.