Final Ariane 5 Launch Delayed Due To Technical Problems

The final launch of Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket has been postponded due to a potential problem with the pyrotechnical systems onboard.

The Ariane 5 rocket was set to roll out to the launch pad in Kourou, French Guiana for the final time on June 15th with launch scheduled for June 16 but has been delayed indefinitely as the company works to address the issue.

The decision to postpone the launch was made after Arianespace discovered a "nonconformance" in pyrotechnical transmission lines during acceptance testing for another program. Upon further inspection, doubts were raised about three lines on the Ariane 5 rocket, including one used in the separation system for a solid rocket booster and two in the distancing system for the boosters.

Both systems have redundancies in place, however Arianespace's policy mandates launching only when the redundancies are fully operational. In an effort to gain confidence in the reliability of the systems, Arianespace conducted tests on four lines similar to the suspect ones. Unfourtently, not all of the tests were successful, and Arianespace will need to replace the doubtful lines before proceeding with the launch.

A new launch date has not yet been determined, but Arianespace plans to provide an update by the end of June regarding the progress in replacing the lines and the scheduling of a new launch attempt, suggesting a delay of at least a few weeks if not longer.

Ariane 5's final mission, VA261, was set to carry two government communications satellites: the Heinrich-Hertz-Satellit, built for the German Space Agency, and the Syracuse 4B, a communications satellite for the French military. 

The retirement of the Ariane 5 marks the end of an era for the reliable and successful rocket. Since its first launch in June 1996, the Ariane 5 has played a prominent role in the commercial launch market, capable of deploying two large geostationary communications satellites simultaneously.