Manufacturer N/A Height 74 m (242 ft) | Country of origin Europe Diameter ? (?) | |
Function Super Heavy launch vehicle Mass 1874,000 kg (4,131,000 lb) | ||
Ariane M is a hypothesized European expendable launch system designed to both place payloads in Low Earth Orbit and loft large payloads to lunar orbit.
Contents
History
The Ariane M was first hypothesized in 1991 as part of a CNES study. However, it was not developed because of prohibitive costs and doubt over its mission requirements.
Future
In 2001, the ESA established the Aurora programme. This program calls for an eventual human landing on Mars that is targeted for 2030. To achieve such a feat, a heavy launch vehicle is required. Therefore, Ariane M may be required.
References
Ariane M Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA