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Inquiry into Ariane 5’s launch failure starts 16 Dec
KOUROU: The independent inquiry board that will determine the causes of Flight 157’s launch failure will begin its work on 16 December 2002. The attempted first flight of the Ariane 5-ESCA which took place on 11 December was designed to catapult 10 tonnes of payload into orbit and place Western Europe in toe-to-toe combat with the US for domination of the satellite launch market.
The board has the task of determining the source of in-flight problems on the first mission of the “10-ton” Ariane 5, and to assess what effect this failure will have on the flights of the basic Ariane 5 launcher version.
In an official statement, Arianespace claimed that the rocket had veered off-course at a height of 120 kilometres, which prompted the mission control to push the self-destruct button.The remains of the rocket and the two satellites it was carrying – – – Hotbird 7 for Eutelsat, and Stentor, an experimental communications satellite for the French space research institute CNES – – – tumbled into the Atlantic. Approximately three minutes after lift-off, an anomaly occurred, thus ending the flight 157 mission.
However, according to the official statement, Arianespace’s next mission – – – an Ariane 4 launch with the New Skies Satellites’ NSS-6 telecommunications spacecraft – – – remains on schedule for a 17 December liftoff.
The reports also indicated that Arianespace was simlutaneously continuing with the preparations for the upcoming Ariane 5 mission. The mission will use a basic Ariane 5 launcher to place Europe’s Rosetta scientific spacecraft on a deep-space trajectory to rendezvous with a comet. This scheduled to take place on 12 January.
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Business Today MindRush returns to Mumbai, spotlight on India’s edge in a fractured world
Policymakers and corporate heavyweights gather to map supply chains, energy security and markets
MUMBAI: As fault lines widen across global trade and geopolitics, Business Today is doubling down on India’s moment. The 14th edition of Business Today MindRush & Best CEOs Awards lands in Mumbai on March 28, pitching India’s strategic edge at the centre of a fragmenting world.
The day-long summit, presented by PwC, will bring together a tight mix of policymakers, industry leaders and market voices to decode shifting supply chains, maritime strategy, defence priorities, energy security and capital markets—sectors now deeply entangled with geopolitics.
M Nagaraju, secretary, department of financial services, ministry of finance, will headline the event, setting the tone for discussions that aim to track how India is repositioning itself amid disrupted trade routes and volatile energy dynamics.
The speaker slate reads like a cross-section of India Inc’s command centre. Krishna Swaminathan will zero in on sea lanes and supply chains, while Prashant Ruia is set to push the case for self-reliance in oil and gas. Ashish Chauhan will weigh in on capital markets at a pivotal juncture, as a panel featuring Vibha Padalkar, Sanjiv Mehta, Amish Mehta and Sanjeev Krishan debates navigating economic uncertainty.
Leadership under pressure will be another running theme. Madhavkrishna Singhania, Sharvil Patel, Karan Bhagat and Anurag Choudhary will unpack how businesses are steering through disruption. Arun Alagappan will turn the spotlight on fertilisers, Arundhati Bhattacharya will reflect on leadership transitions, while Anish Shah and S Vellayan will outline blueprints for building future-ready conglomerates.
The event will close with Aroon Purie setting the broader editorial lens, before the Best CEOs Awards recognise standout corporate leadership across sectors.
At a time when the global order looks increasingly splintered, MindRush 2026 is positioning itself as more than a conference—it is a signal that India intends not just to navigate the churn, but to shape it.
