Herschel and Planck en route for L2 Lagrange point

 

May 14,

Arianespace’s second mission of the year successfully launched two scientific satellites for the European Space Agency (ESA): the Herschel space telescope and the Planck scientific observatory.  

The two satellites were launched towards the L2 Lagrange point, once again demonstrating the operational capabilities of Ariane 5. This is the only launch vehicle on the commercial market today capable of launching two payloads simultaneously and handling a complete array of missions, from commercial launches into geostationary orbit, to scientific missions into special orbits.  

With 30 successful launches in a row, Ariane 5 has amply proven its reliability and availability. This latest launch also confirms Arianespace’s position as the benchmark provider of launch Service & Solutions, guaranteeing independent access to space for everybody in the space industry, including national and international agencies, private and government operators. Jean-Yves Le Gall emphasized this pivotal position recently, when he quoted one of Arianespace’s best customers as saying: “If you really want to be a space industry player, you have to be launched by Ariane 5.”