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Ariane 5 launch timeline
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: March 21, 2012

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.
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.
H0+00:12.5 Start Pitch Maneuver
The Ariane 5 rocket begins to pitch over after rising vertically from the ELA-3 launch pad.
H0+00:17.1 Start Roll Maneuver
The Ariane 5 rocket starts its roll maneuver to head northeast away from the Guiana Space Center.
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.
H0+02:22 Booster Separation
The solid rocket boosters exhaust their propellant and are jettisoned from the Ariane 5's first stage.
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.
H0+08:54 Main Stage Shutdown
The cryogenic first stage's Vulcain 2 main engine shuts down.
H0+09:00 Stage Separation
Explosive bolts fire to separate the Ariane 5's first and second stages.
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.
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.
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.
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.
H0+63:50 ATV 2 Separation
The 43,462-pound Automated Transfer Vehicle separates from the Ariane 5 upper stage.

Data source: Arianespace/ESA

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