French Rocket program videos and engineerings films.

[Michel Van]

This little series of You tube videos show interesting view on French space program

First video show in color the Hammaguir launch site and first Diamant launching, first french Satellite  "Asterix"
Also include Animal testing with Suborbital veronique rocket.



This 1993 video  show the history ESA Kourou launch site in French Guyane
From construction of new launch complex in  under CNES in end 1960s
the first launches of Diamant B and BP4, then ELDO Europa II and later ESA Ariane family   

[Michel Van]

this video was made for 30 year celebration of Ariane Rocket family
allot of Engineering film like Booster separation on Ariane 3



the second video is from Aerospacial about Ariane 3 rocket
sadly in poor quality and spirit in 6 parts

[Michel Van]

Here Ariane 5 launch view from Onboard camera

[Grandpa to Two]

 Thank you Michel Van for these posts! After watching all the videos I realized how little I know about the Ariane line or its predecessors. With regards to Ariane 3, how beautiful the launch is with the SRB's kicking in a few seconds off the pad. I've never seen that before. Now that you've piqued my interest I'm going to do some research on the early French and the ESA rocket program. Nice post.

[Hobbes-22]

The best online resource for Ariane is http://www.capcomespace.net/, but that's all in French.
Bernd Leitenberger's books are decent too, but in German. 'Europe's space programme' by Brian Harvey is a good source in English that also includes the French projects that predate Ariane, but has less in-depth information on Ariane.

[cwr]

The best online resource for Ariane is http://www.capcomespace.net/, but that's all in French.
Bernd Leitenberger's books are decent too, but in German. 'Europe's space programme' by Brian Harvey is a good source in English that also includes the French projects that predate Ariane, but has less in-depth information on Ariane.

I'd also recommend the AAS History Series, each volume contains quite a few papers on different projects and there are a number of in-depth articles on French Rocket Programs at Hammaguir, including Veronique.
I also seem to remember maybe a paper on the French program at Kourou.

The Europa program has its roots in Blue Streak and Woomera. "Fire Across the Desert" by Peter Morton covers a lot of British programs at Woomera. There are some more recent books, such as C N Hill's "A Vertical Empire" that covers Blue Streak, Europa and Black Arrow plus other programs.

Carl

[Michel Van]

Europa rocket ?
since second stage is french and one is launched from French launch site...
here we go !



Assembly of europa Rocket No Sound


No Sound


no Sound


no sound


No sound


Europa 2 launch

[Michel Van]

The First Launch of Ariane 5 or better say the Rocket that thinks it's a Ariane 4
Do cost reason the Flight software is Ariane 4 UNCHANGED uploaded in Ariane 5 Flight electronic.
and it Payload was NOT insured

[Michel Van]

A short youtube video about FR-1 the First Satellite of CNES, the second french satellite in Orbit.



and again about first French Satellite "Asterix"
this one show testing and experiments on equipment



Diamant B rocket program

[penguin44]

Two questions for a3. First, why do the boosters light halfway up the tower as opposed to right at t0? Also I see in the first video that some large stuff is flying off the rocket, what is that?

Thanks for showing me a rocket I never saw before!

[Jarnis]

Stuff flying off the rocket is almost certainly insulation of some sort. No clue about the booster thing.

[Michel Van]

on Ariane 3 solid Booster
There not ignited on launch pad but halfway of launch tower
that is to prevent that launch platform is not destroy by solid Booster during lift off.
by letting some distance between  launch platform and hot gas from Booster Nozzle.

Ariane upper stage is covers in Isolation Blanket and has several cables connected to launch tower
during lift off all that stuff is jettison to make rocket lighter
penguin44, what you see falling is mostly:

the Isolation Blankets, with parts of it mounting support
and retainer from Electrical plugs on rocket

[penguin44]

Thanks for the answers!

[Michel Van]

Ariane 5 Flight V-201 Launch Aborted in 2011.



seems Flight VA-239 had same problem...

[Michel Van]

flight VA239 Launch Aborted on 05 September 2017