Arianespace has announced that the Ariane 5 rocket will take off for the final time on 4 July, after a previous launch was called off due to a technical problem. The 117th and last mission to take off on an Ariane 5 rocket was originally scheduled for 16 June from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The new date was set “following the replacement of the three pyrotechnical transmission lines identified as doubtful on the Ariane 5 launcher,” the French firm said. The pyrotechnical lines are involved in separating the boosters from the rocket. The rocket and its payload of one French and one German communication satellite were stable and safe in Kourou, Arianespace added.
