IN THE race to develop a heavy-lifting rocket, Europe has nosed ahead with the successful launch on 12 February of its Ariane 5 Heavy booster. This follows the disastrous first attempt two years ago, when the rocket veered off course and had to be destroyed.
In December, Boeing’s Delta 4 Heavy rocket succeeded in reaching space, but its engines shut down prematurely and the test satellites it carried fell short of their intended orbits. Boeing might attempt a second launch in mid-2005.
The Ariane 5, launched from the Kourou space port in French Guiana, carried XTAR-EUR, the first commercial communications…
