• Skua@kbin.earth
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    5 months ago

    The Ariane V is one of the most powerful rockets ever built in terms of the capacity it can take to orbit. SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy and China’s Long March 5 can beat it, but neither has anything like the extensive service record of Ariane V nor had they flown at all when the probe was being designed. Plus of course, any space agency is always going to be more inclined to use domestic rockets that they’re already very familiar with