H0 |
Main Engine Ignition |
The Ariane 5 rocket's first stage Vulcain 2 main engine ignites and undergoes a thorough health check on the launch pad. |
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H0+00:07.3 |
Launch |
Producing about 2.6 million pounds of thrust, the Ariane 5 rocket's two solid rocket boosters ignite to lift the launcher into the sky. |
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H0+00:12.5 |
Start Pitch Maneuver |
The Ariane 5 rocket begins to pitch over after rising vertically from the ELA-3 launch pad. |
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H0+00:17.1 |
Start Roll Maneuver |
The Ariane 5 rocket starts its roll maneuver to head northeast away from the Guiana Space Center. |
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H0+00:48 |
Mach 1 |
At an altitude of 6,900 meters, or about 22,600 feet, the Ariane 5 launcher passes the speed of sound. |
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H0+02:22 |
Booster Separation |
The solid rocket boosters exhaust their propellant and are jettisoned from the Ariane 5's first stage. |
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H0+03:26 |
Jettison Payload Fairing |
The two halves of the Ariane 5's 5.4-meter, or 17.7-foot, diameter payload fairing are jettisoned once the
rocket leaves the thick lower atmosphere. |
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H0+08:54 |
Main Stage Shutdown |
The cryogenic first stage's Vulcain 2 main engine shuts down. |
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H0+09:00 |
Stage Separation |
Explosive bolts fire to separate the Ariane 5's first and second stages. |
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H0+09:07 |
Upper Stage Ignition 1 |
The upper stage's Aestus engine, burning hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide, ignites for the first of two burns to send the Automated Transfer Vehicle into orbit. |
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H0+17:18 |
Upper Stage Shutdown 1 |
The upper stage's Aestus engine shuts down after reaching a parking orbit stretching from a low point of 85 miles to a high point of 161 miles. |
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H0+59:23 |
Upper Stage Ignition 2 |
The Ariane 5 upper stage's Aestus engine fires again to circularize its orbit at an altitude of about 161 miles and an inclination of 51.6 degrees. |
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H0+59:51 |
Upper Stage Shutdown 2 |
The Aestus engine completes its job in the launch, injecting the Automated Transfer Vehicle in a circular 161-mile-high orbit. |
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H0+63:50 |
ATV 2 Separation |
The 43,462-pound Automated Transfer Vehicle separates from the Ariane 5 upper stage. |
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