Currently, sci.esa.int is under review and not being updated. For the latest information and news from ESA science missions and scientific results, please visit esa.int. For a comprehensive overview of ESA’s Science Programme and its missions, please refer to science.esa.int. For in-depth technical information aimed at ESA's scientific communities, you may also wish to consult cosmos.esa.int.

Asset Publisher

Back Ariane 501 - Report by Board of Inquiry

Ariane 501 - Report by Board of Inquiry

Publication date: 20 July 1996

Year: 0

On 4 June 1996, the maiden flight of the Ariane 5 launcher ended in failure. Only about 40 seconds after initiation of the flight sequence, at an altitude of about 3700m, the laucher veered off its flight path, broke up and exploded. Engineers from the Ariane 5 project teams of CNES and Industry immediately started to investigate the failure.

This is a report detailing their findings and suggested courses of action.

Link to publication
Last Update: Sep 1, 2019 9:24:30 AM
15-Jun-2026 01:52 UT

ShortUrl Portlet

Shortcut URL

https://sci.esa.int/s/wRdpjv8

Images And Videos

Related Publications

Related Links

Documentation