Europe's heavy-lift rocket,&nbsp;Ariane-5, took off on its final mission on Wednesday. The rocket, which had made it possible for the continent to access space for nearly three decades, brought its career to an end after lifting&nbsp;two telecoms satellites into space.

Ariane-5 was regarded&nbsp;as a highly successful launcher after it faced only two outright failures in 117 outings.&nbsp;

However, the retirement of Ariane 5 has left Europe in a difficult position, as it has no replacement prepared to take over.&nbsp;

The Ariane-6, which is the next-generation rocket, is still in its development and testing phase and is less likely to debut till next year.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/more-lifting-power-for-indian-rockets-isro-test-fires-indias-most-powerful-rocket-engine-611153">More lifting-power for Indian rockets: ISRO test-fires India's most powerful rocket engine</a>

To make matters more difficult, Russian Soyuz rockets can no longer be used by Europe and its smaller vehicle the Vega-C has been benched after it faced an in-flight failure last December.

Instead, the satellites of Europe have been forced to use the services of the United States. Euclid space telescope, which is worth €1.4 billion ($1.52 billion), was lofted last Saturday on a SpaceX Falcon-9 in Florida.

<h2>Europe's launcher crisis&nbsp;</h2>

The home-grown rockets' unavailability prompted European Space Agency director general Josef Aschbacher to recently announce that "Europe finds itself... in an acute launcher crisis".

The final mission of Wednesday was conducted, as usual, from the Kourou spaceport located in French Guiana.

The two "passengers" onboard the rocket were a German demonstration spacecraft, called Heinrich Hertz and a French defence satellite, named Syracuse 4B.

Right after the start of the rocket's launch window, the Ariane blasted at 19:00 local time (22:00 GMT; 23:00 BST).

Dr Aschbacher stated that scientists will remember the Ariane-5 as a remarkable vehicle.

"The performance and the accuracy of the Ariane-5 have been quite unique, but I'm convinced that Ariane-6 will have the same performance and the same accuracy once it's on the launch pad," he said while speaking to BBC News.

WATCH |&nbsp;South Korea salvages North Korea spy satellite rocket debris; to examine parts

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On December 25, 2021, the famed accuracy was best demonstrated when the rocket launched the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope.

The telescope's injection into orbit was done so precisely that the observatory did not require it to use its own fuel for correcting its trajectory, which doubled a projected operational lifetime from 10 to 20 years.

A new heavy-lift rocket from Europe was commissioned as the cost of production of the Ariane-5 appeared unsustainable in the wake of US competition.

The launch was upended by Elon Musk's SpaceX company with his reusable Falcons, undercutting the price point of Ariane.&nbsp;

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Europe's heavy-lift rocket, Ariane-5, took off on its final mission on Wednesday. The rocket, which had made it possible for the continent to access space for nearly three decades, brought its career to an end after lifting two telecoms satellites into space.

Europe's heavy-lift rocket, Ariane-5, took off on its final mission on Wednesday. The rocket, which had made it possible for the continent to access space for nearly three decades, brought its career to an end after lifting two telecoms satellites into space. Ariane-5 was regarded as a highly successful launcher after it faced only two outright failures in 117 outings. However, the retirement of Ariane 5 has left Europe in a difficult position, as it has no replacement prepared to take over. The Ariane-6, which is the next-generation rocket, is still in its development and testing phase and is less likely to debut till next year. ALSO READ | More lifting-power for Indian rockets: ISRO test-fires India's most powerful rocket engine To make matters more difficult, Russian Soyuz rockets can no longer be used by Europe and its smaller vehicle the Vega-C has been benched after it faced an in-flight failure last December. Instead, the satellites of Europe have been forced to use the services of the United States. Euclid space telescope, which is worth €1.4 billion ($1.52 billion), was lofted last Saturday on a SpaceX Falcon-9 in Florida. Europe's launcher crisis The home-grown rockets' unavailability prompted European Space Agency director general Josef Aschbacher to recently announce that "Europe finds itself... in an acute launcher crisis". The final mission of Wednesday was conducted, as usual, from the Kourou spaceport located in French Guiana. The two "passengers" onboard the rocket were a German demonstration spacecraft, called Heinrich Hertz and a French defence satellite, named Syracuse 4B. Right after the start of the rocket's launch window, the Ariane blasted at 19:00 local time (22:00 GMT; 23:00 BST). Dr Aschbacher stated that scientists will remember the Ariane-5 as a remarkable vehicle. "The performance and the accuracy of the Ariane-5 have been quite unique, but I'm convinced that Ariane-6 will have the same performance and the same accuracy once it's on the launch pad," he said while speaking to BBC News. WATCH | South Korea salvages North Korea spy satellite rocket debris; to examine parts On December 25, 2021, the famed accuracy was best demonstrated when the rocket launched the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope. The telescope's injection into orbit was done so precisely that the observatory did not require it to use its own fuel for correcting its trajectory, which doubled a projected operational lifetime from 10 to 20 years. A new heavy-lift rocket from Europe was commissioned as the cost of production of the Ariane-5 appeared unsustainable in the wake of US competition. The launch was upended by Elon Musk's SpaceX company with his reusable Falcons, undercutting the price point of Ariane. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Europe's Ariane-5 rocket blasts off into space one last time

On Wednesday, June 22nd, the European launch vehicle Ariane-5 is scheduled to lift-off from the Kourou Spaceport in French Guiana, carrying a payload weighing nearly 10,863kg. In what is to be the second mission of Arianespace in 2022, and the 257th flight by Ariane (dubbed VA257), a communication satellite each from India and Malaysia is to be placed in orbit.

The 4-tonne GSAT-24 is the Indian passenger, whereas the MEASAT-3d is the Malaysian counterpart.&nbsp;

GSAT-24 is a Ku-band communication satellite built by New Space India Limited for the Indian Space Research Organization. It is meant to provide high-quality television, telecommunications, and broadcasting services and will meet the DTH needs of Indian customers. GSAT-24 is configured on ISRO’s proven I-3k Bus (satellite infrastructure) with a mission life of 15 years.

The satellite capacity on-board GSAT-24 has been leased by NSIL to M/s Tata Play, an Indian firm that provides Direct-To-Home (DTH) services. This satellite will help M/s Tata Play offer better and more reliable services to its customers.

MEASAT-3d is a multi-mission telecommunications satellite built by Airbus Defence and Space for MEASAT, the leading Malaysian satellite operator. This new satellite is meant to enhance broadband speeds of up to 100 Mbps in areas with limited or no terrestrial network throughout Malaysia while continuing to provide redundancy and additional capacity for video distribution in HD, 4K, and ultimately 8K in the Asia-Pacific region. This spacecraft is intended to operate for over 18 years and is designed to have an electrical power of 12 kW.&nbsp;

It will carry C-and Ku-band payloads for direct-to-home (DTH) services and a high-throughput Ka-band payload with multiple user spot beams optimised to deliver high-speed broadband communications over Malaysia for internet connectivity.

Apart from this, the satellite will also host a Q/V band payload, the first of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region, which allows MEASAT to study propagation effects in high rainfall regions like Malaysia, to enable the design of its next generation satellites.

While GSAT-24 will be the twenty-fifth Indian satellite launched by Arianespace, MEASAT-3d will mark the fourth satellite launch for Malaysia's MEASAT, by Arianespace.

On Wednesday, June 22nd, the European launch vehicle Ariane-5 is scheduled to lift-off from the Kourou Spaceport in French Guiana, carrying a payload weighing nearly 10,863kg.

On Wednesday, June 22nd, the European launch vehicle Ariane-5 is scheduled to lift-off from the Kourou Spaceport in French Guiana, carrying a payload weighing nearly 10,863kg. In what is to be the second mission of Arianespace in 2022, and the 257th flight by Ariane (dubbed VA257), a communication satellite each from India and Malaysia is to be placed in orbit. The 4-tonne GSAT-24 is the Indian passenger, whereas the MEASAT-3d is the Malaysian counterpart. GSAT-24 is a Ku-band communication satellite built by New Space India Limited for the Indian Space Research Organization. It is meant to provide high-quality television, telecommunications, and broadcasting services and will meet the DTH needs of Indian customers. GSAT-24 is configured on ISRO’s proven I-3k Bus (satellite infrastructure) with a mission life of 15 years. The satellite capacity on-board GSAT-24 has been leased by NSIL to M/s Tata Play, an Indian firm that provides Direct-To-Home (DTH) services. This satellite will help M/s Tata Play offer better and more reliable services to its customers. MEASAT-3d is a multi-mission telecommunications satellite built by Airbus Defence and Space for MEASAT, the leading Malaysian satellite operator. This new satellite is meant to enhance broadband speeds of up to 100 Mbps in areas with limited or no terrestrial network throughout Malaysia while continuing to provide redundancy and additional capacity for video distribution in HD, 4K, and ultimately 8K in the Asia-Pacific region. This spacecraft is intended to operate for over 18 years and is designed to have an electrical power of 12 kW. It will carry C-and Ku-band payloads for direct-to-home (DTH) services and a high-throughput Ka-band payload with multiple user spot beams optimised to deliver high-speed broadband communications over Malaysia for internet connectivity. Apart from this, the satellite will also host a Q/V band payload, the first of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region, which allows MEASAT to study propagation effects in high rainfall regions like Malaysia, to enable the design of its next generation satellites. While GSAT-24 will be the twenty-fifth Indian satellite launched by Arianespace, MEASAT-3d will mark the fourth satellite launch for Malaysia's MEASAT, by Arianespace.

Indian and Malaysian satellites are co-passengers on Europe's Ariane rocket

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Europe's Ariane-5 rocket blasts off into space one last time

Indian and Malaysian satellites are co-passengers on Europe's Ariane rocket