Europe bids farewell to Ariane 5 rocket in its final mission

Europe's Ariane-5 rocket, which has been instrumental in Europe's access to space for nearly three decades, has completed its final mission by successfully launching two telecoms satellites. With no immediate replacement ready, Europe faces a launcher crisis as the next-generation rocket, Ariane-6, is still in development. The unavailability of home-grown rockets has forced European satellites to rely on American services. The Ariane-5's retirement comes as SpaceX's re-usable Falcon rockets have disrupted the launch market. The Ariane-6 aims to be 40% cheaper than its predecessor but will still be an expendable design until Europe develops re-usability technologies in the 2030s.