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Ariane
[ ar-ee-an; French a-ryan ]
noun
- Rocketry. a French-built, three-stage, liquid-propellant rocket for launching satellites into orbit around the earth.
- a first name, French form of Ariadne.
Example Sentences
Europe's big new rocket, Ariane-6, has blasted off on its maiden flight.
This left Ariane's upper-stage unable to initiate the burn that was supposed to bring it out of orbit and also set up the final task of the mission – to jettison two re-entry capsules.
"This is a historic moment. The inaugural launch of a new heavy-lift rocket doesn't happen every year; it happens only every 20 years or maybe 30 years. And today we have launched Ariane-6 successfully," he told reporters.
Ariane-6 is intended to be a workhorse rocket that gives European governments and companies access to space independently from the rest of the world.
Like its predecessor, Ariane-5, the new model is expendable - a new rocket is needed for every mission, whereas the latest American vehicles are being built to be wholly or partially reusable.
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