ARIANE 5, THE CHALLENGE

Each Ariane launch is a high-risk adventure and a 500-million-euro gamble. Concentration is at a peak, as each stage is essential and follows a very precise timetable.

Ariane 5, the European Space Agency's launcher, reveals a whole world of its own: armed forces on the ground and in the air, an industrial network of 550 companies in 12 European countries, buried bunkers and secrets to which few people have access.

Through the countdown to a launch campaign at the French Guiana Space Center (Centre Spatial Guyanais), the world's largest space launch center, this campaign is orchestrated according to a very precise scenario. From the arrival of the rocket in parts by plane and ship, through the delicate transport of the convoy to the site, to the launch and placement of the satellite in orbit. Each launch is a consecration.