Ariane 6 has been in development for almost a decade with the aim of putting European rockets on the map.
The European launcher Ariane 6 has officially taken off from the Kourou spaceport, in French Guiana.
The European Space Agency posted on X to celebrate its launch, which is part of an effort to put Europe on the satellite launch map and distinguish it from competitors such as Elon Musk.
Although the rocket successfully took off from its port, the agency The launch can only be declared an official success after more than one hour of satisfactory flight..
Before that, engineers they can still end the mission if the rocket shows signs of deviating from its intended trajectory.
This type of launch usually has a high failure rate.
The success of the launch depends largely on the retirement of the Ariane 6 predecessor, Ariane 5. The Ariane 6 itself has been delayed until now.
The Ariane 6 was delayed several years due to a host of problems, including the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The rocket hopes to be cheaper than its predecessor and is a totally European creation: developed by thirteen European countries led by France.
“Ariane 6 will take Europe into space. Ariane 6 will make history”commented Josef Aschbacher, director general of the European Space Agency, before the launch.
The rocket is built by the French company ArianeGroup and operated by the subsidiary Arianespace on behalf of the European Space Agency.
If this launch is a success, the rocket will participate in its December inaugural commercial mission with a French spy satellite.
