On the 24th of December 1979 the first Ariane rocket took off from the French Guyane Space Centre.
It is one of the greatest space programs so far with a 190 successful launches and only 9 failures.
Yes, Europe can tackle big projects and be a top player in high tech.
Let’s hope that the Brits (who finally get their own Space Agency just recently to replace the old one) rejoin Ariane soon.