This was only the fourth Ariane 5 launch since the beginning of 2020, an unusually slow pace for a vehicle that had been a mainstay of the commercial launch market.

The Ariane 5 had effectively been grounded for months since that August 2020 launch.

In May, Arianespace confirmed that launch, as well as the previous one in February 2020, suffered “a less than fully nominal separation” of the payload fairing.

The issue raised concerns because of the upcoming launch of the James Webb Space Telescope on the Ariane 5.

The launch is the first of two of the Ariane 5 before the high-profile launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.