Follow the Launch of Ariane 5 Flight VA261

The countdown has begun for Europe’s Ariane 5 rocket, as it prepares for its final flight. The launch, which will be broadcast live on ESA Web TV, is scheduled for as early as 16 June at 23:26 CEST, pending suitable conditions for launch. The flight, known as VA261, will carry two payloads into space: the German space agency DLR’s experimental communications satellite Heinrich Hertz and the French communications satellite Syracuse 4b. This will be the 117th mission for Ariane 5, a series that began in 1996. Notable payloads launched by Ariane 5 include ESA’s Rosetta, Europe’s Galileo navigation satellites, and the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. Ariane 5’s capacity enables it to orbit two large telecommunications satellites on a single launch or to push large and heavy payloads into deep space. The launch can be followed live on ESA Web TV from 22:55 CEST/21:55 BST.