A life-size model of the first version of the European rocket is on display at the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace (Air and Space Museum) at Le Bourget. The first test flight of Ariane 1 took place on 24 December 1979. The rocket took off from the Kourou Space Centre in French Guiana. Close to the equator, at 5 degrees north latitude, Kourou is the ideal location for geostationary satellite launches. Ariane 1 is a three-stage, 47.4-metre high launcher that develops 240 tonnes of thrust at lift-off. Between 1979 and 1986, Ariane 1 successfully performed nine of the eleven launches, including the Giotto probe and the first Spot satellite.