1st flight of the Ariane IV rocket 06-1988 - Maiden launch of Ariane 4 06/1988...

1st flight of the Ariane IV rocket 06-1988 - Maiden launch of Ariane 4 06/1988 — Decollage of the Ariane IV rocket (Ariane 44LP) on 15 June 1988. On board the Meteosat P2 and PanamSat 1 satellites. The Ariane 44LP rocket is the second most powerful version of the Ariane 4 cranes. Maiden launch of Ariane 4, from the Ariane Launch Complex no.2 (ELA-2) at the Guiana Space Centre, Europe's space port, on June 15, 1988. On its first mission (V22), Ariane 4 flew in 44LP configuration, with four liquid and four solid boosters. Two primary payloads were successfully released in gestationary tansfer orbit (GTO): ESA's Meteosat P2 meteorological satellite and PanamSat 1, the first private international communication satellite. The Amsat 3C microsatellite was also flown piggyback and successfully deployed. The Ariane 44LP was the second most powerful version of the Ariane 4 series. Its initial payload capacity of 3,700 kg to GTO was eventually increased to 4,330 kg through a series of upgrades