Blast After Liftoff Destroys Ariane, 2 Satellites Aboard
A West European Ariane 44-L rocket with two Japanese telecommunications satellites aboard exploded Thursday about 2 minutes after liftoff.
Arianespace President Frederic d’Allest said it blew up because of fire in its propulsion system.
Arianespace, a consortium of European firms, took over the commercialization of the Ariane program from the European Space Agency in 1980.
Ariane shots have become routine, with successful missions about once per month. The reliability of the program has made Arianespace the world’s leading provider of commercial launch services.
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