The World : Ariane Program Halted

Europe’s commercial Ariane rocket program was halted pending an investigation into the failure of an unmanned rocket that tumbled out of control and was destroyed along with a $55-million satellite it was scheduled to put into orbit. Arianespace, a French-led international consortium, had planned four more launches this year, the next Aug. 12. The decision ends the Europeans’ brief monopoly of the lucrative market for satellite contracts following the Jan. 28 Challenger space shuttle disaster and the failure of subsequent launches of America’s Titan and Delta unmanned rockets.