The tension will be high this Wednesday for Arianespace officials as they try to prove their next-generation Ariane 5 rocket is ready to become a workhorse in the France-based organization’s launch program. Liftoff is scheduled from Kourou, French Guiana, between 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. EDT.

Two previous launch attempts by the Ariane 5 failed to pass muster. The first ended in a fiery failure. The second showed progress by putting a decoy satellite into orbit, but not as high as planned. With the causes of those flaws believed to have been remedied, Arianespace officials are eager to show the satellite industry that they have a rocket ready to meet the rising demand for reliable launches of small, low-Earth-orbit satellites, large geostationary birds and everything in between.

Arianespace plans to add the Ariane 5 as a heavier lift alternative to its proven Ariane 4, a perennial industry favorite of customers that can afford to pay the price. The use of a less expensive rocket can be folly. Globalstar Telecommunications L.P. [GSTRF] was the latest example when it lost 12 satellites last month in a failed Zenit rocket launch. Globalstar now needs a cash infusion by the first quarter of next year or may run out of money due to a three-month delay in starting revenue-generating service (SN, Sept. 21).

The Ariane 5 will have 40 percent more lift capacity for geostationary satellites than the most powerful version of the Ariane 4, despite reducing the number of engines to four from as many as 10 on the Ariane 4. The change was possible by raising the Vulcain engine’s output and cutting the rocket’s weight.