Ariane 42P

AR42P A42P

Mission Profile

Ariane 42P was a three-stage configuration of the Ariane 4 family, featuring two solid strap-on boosters (the 'P' denoting Poudre, French for solid powder propellant) alongside the liquid-fueled core and upper stages. Standing 58.4 meters tall with a liftoff mass of 330,000 kg and generating 3,928 kN of thrust, it made its maiden flight in November 1990. The Ariane 4 family's modular design — with six variants offering different combinations of solid and liquid strap-on boosters — gave operators exceptional flexibility to match launch vehicle performance to payload mass, making Ariane 4 one of the most commercially successful rocket families of the 1990s.