Europe bids farewell to Ariane 5, its trusted workhorse rocket

Europe's Ariane 5 rocket, the European Space Agency's "workhorse" rocket, successfully launched for the final time, carrying Germany's Heinrich Hertz (H2Sat) and France's Syracuse 4b military communications satellites into geostationary orbit. The launch marks the end of a 27-year era for Ariane 5, which played a crucial role in establishing Europe's presence in the communications satellite market. The rocket's final mission was delayed twice due to technical issues and bad weather.