Ariane 1

Aérospatiale

Manufacturer

Aérospatiale

Family

Ariane

Maiden flight

1979-12-24

Length

50 m

Diameter

3.8 m

Payload to LEO

1,400 kg

Payload to GTO

1,850 kg

Launches

Successful

Ariane 1 was the first rocket in the Ariane family of expendable launch systems. It was developed and operated by the European Space Agency (ESA), which had been formed in 1973, the same year that development of the launch had commenced.