Ariane rockets prepare for final launch and inaugural flight.
The final launch of Europe's Ariane 5 rocket has been rescheduled for July 4 after being grounded for over two weeks due to a problem with the pyrotechnic systems required to jettison the launcher's strap-on solid rocket boosters. The rocket will carry the Heinrich-Hertz and Syracuse 4B satellites into a geostationary transfer orbit from the Guiana Space Center. The retirement of Ariane 5 will leave Europe without its own independent access to space.