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Information About

Ariane 2 And Ariane 3




They were almost identical, but Ariane 3 was equipped with strap-on boosters.
They were the successors to Ariane 1 and predecessors of the Ariane 4 .


TECHNICAL DETAILS

Ariane 2 and 3 had the same basic design as Ariane 1 , but with increased thrust of first and second stage engines, a taller third stage, and a larger internal payload fairing volume.
In addition Ariane 3 had two strap-on Solid Rocket Booster s.
Their payload capacity was 2175 to 2580 Kg .

They were three-stage rockets:



LAUNCH HISTORY

The first launch of Ariane 2 was on 30 May 1986 and was a failure.
The remaining launches were all successful.
There were only six flights of Ariane 2, the last being on 2 April 1989 .

The first launch of Ariane 3 was on 4 August 1984 , almost two years before Ariane 2.
In total there were 11 flights; only the fifth failed.

The small number of flights of Ariane 2 & 3 was due to the arrival of the much more versatile and powerful Ariane 4 .