Editing Ariane 4 (section)

== Operational history ==
{{main|List of Ariane launches}}

In June 1988, the inaugural flight of the Ariane 4 occurred, which was a success. Since then, Ariane 4 has flown 116 times, 113 of which were successful, yielding a success rate of {{percent|113|116|1}}. 

On 22 February 1990, the first failure occurred during the eighth Ariane 4 launch, flight V36. The rocket exploded 9 km above Kourou.<ref name="harvey-2003" />{{rp|pages=182-183}} The failure occurred because a worker assembling a [[Viking (rocket engine)|Viking rocket motor]] had left a handkerchief in one of the motor's coolant tubes. He had done so as a reminder to himself to inform his superior, as per procedure, of an unplanned polishing he had made to fit the tube. But he fell ill before he could do so and was replaced by other workers who did not notice the handkerchief. In flight, the handkerchief blocked the coolant tube, the motor overheated and failed, and the Ariane self-destructed after veering off its trajectory. Its payload, two communications satellites worth 500 million US dollars ([[Superbird-B]] and [[BS-2X]]) landed in pieces in the swamps near Kourou.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Castanos |first=Francis |date=7 December 2020 |title=The Space Review: The cloth of doom: The weird, doomed ride of Ariane Flight 36 |url=https://www.thespacereview.com/article/4085/1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204195450/https://thespacereview.com/article/4085/1 |archive-date=4 December 2023 |access-date=25 December 2021 |website=www.thespacereview.com }}</ref> The ensuing investigation recommended 44 modifications, including numbering and checking all pieces of cloth used in the rocket's assembly.<ref name=":0" /> The following 26 launches were all completed successfully.<ref name="harvey-2003" />{{rp|page=183}}

The system became the basis for European [[satellite]] launches with a record of 113 successful and three launch failures. Ariane 4 provided a payload increase from {{cvt|1700|kg|lb}} for [[Ariane 3]] to a maximum of {{cvt|4800|kg|lb}} to [[geostationary transfer orbit]] (GTO). The record for Ariane 4 to GTO was {{cvt|4946|kg|lb}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.space-airbusds.com/en/programmes/ariane-4.html|title=Ariane 4|publisher=Airbus Defence and Space|access-date=13 June 2015|archive-date=27 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927235322/http://www.space-airbusds.com/en/programmes/ariane-4.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 15 February 2003, the final launch of Ariane 4 rocket occurred, placing [[Intelsat 907]] into [[geosynchronous orbit]].<ref name="arianespace-20030215">{{Cite press release |date=15 February 2003 |title=Arianespace Flight 159: Mission Accomplished! 23rd launch for Intelsat |url=https://www.arianespace.com/press-release/arianespace-flight-159-mission-accomplished-23rd-launch-for-intelsat/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230706025156/https://www.arianespace.com/press-release/arianespace-flight-159-mission-accomplished-23rd-launch-for-intelsat/ |archive-date=6 July 2023 |access-date=28 May 2024 |publisher=[[Arianespace]] }}</ref> Arianespace had decided to phase out the Ariane 4 launcher in favour of the newer heavy-lift [[Ariane 5]] rocket, which had already been in service for some years. In 2011, the medium-lift [[Soyuz-2|Soyuz ST]] complemented the offering of launch vehicles from the [[Soyuz at the Guiana Space Centre|Centre Spatial Guyanais]]. Spacecraft launched by the Soyuz reused the payload platform and dispenser which had been originally designed for the Ariane.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 2012 |title=Soyuz User's Manual |url=http://www.arianespace.com/launch-services-soyuz/Soyuz-Users-Manual-March-2012.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228235729/http://www.arianespace.com/launch-services-soyuz/Soyuz-Users-Manual-March-2012.pdf |archive-date=28 December 2013 |access-date=13 June 2015 |publisher=[[Arianespace]] }}</ref>