Ariane 1 launcher

A cutaway view of the first European launch vehicle, Ariane 1, as envisioned by Ariane project engineers in August 1978 - just over one year before its maiden launch from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. This diagram was published in an article called 'The Ariane Launcher and its Progress' in ESA Bulletin no. 15. At this point, development was well under way with key milestones such as fairing separation tests and firing tests already completed. Ariane 1's maiden launch took place on 24 December 1979.