Editing Ariane 1 (section)

===Maiden flight===
There was considerable pressure for Ariane to perform its [[maiden flight]] prior to end of 1979.<ref name = "harvey 169"/> It was decided that Ariane should launch on 15 December 1979 and, 38 hours prior the launch, the countdown was initiated; however, a technical issue was encountered in the final hour which led to an abort. Despite fears that the launch would have to be delayed for a month, it was decided to resume the countdown for a second attempt.<ref name = "harvey 169"/> However, upon the countdown reaching zero, three seconds following engine ignition, the onboard computer decided to cut engine power due to erroneous sensor information indicating that engine pressure had been falling. Another attempt was quickly scheduled for 24 December 1979; this time, the launch was successfully executed and the first Ariane flight was performed, the firing button having been personally pressed by French President [[Valéry Giscard d'Estaing]].<ref name = "harvey 169"/>

For the first flight, designated as ''L-O1'' (Lancement [Launch] 01), the payload consisted of an [[Aeritalia]]-built test instrumentation system, known as CAT (Capsule Ariane Technologique), for the purpose of measuring all key stages of the ascent in great detail, such as noise, stress, acceleration, temperature, and pressure; this unit was also designed to simulate a real satellite payload.<ref name = "harvey 167 169"/> CAT was successfully placed into an orbit of {{cvt|202|by|35753|km|mi}}; the successful deployment of this payload indicated the end of the American [[monopoly]] on commercial satellite launches. On 26 March 1980, almost immediately after the success of LO-1, CNES and ESA created a new company for the purpose of promoting, marketing, and managing Ariane operations, choosing to name the venture [[Arianespace]].<ref name = "harvey 169"/>