On Tuesday, July 9th, 2024, Europe's newest satellite launcher, the Ariane 6 rocket, blasted off from its launch pad in French Guiana, kicking off a nearly three-hour flight designed to end a yearlong gap in European space launches. The launch went ahead after checks showed a small issue in a data acquisition system, pushing the beginning of the launch window back by one hour.
Standing at 56 meters (184 feet) tall, the Ariane 6 is Europe's latest uncrewed rocket, developed at an estimated cost of €4 billion by ArianeGroup, a joint venture between Airbus and Safran. The inaugural mission is not a commercial flight, but if all goes well, it is scheduled to deploy a handful of satellites and experiments from European agencies, companies, and universities.
The successful launch of the Ariane 6 is a significant achievement for the European space program, as it restores the continent's independent access to space. Since the retirement of the workhorse Ariane 5 rocket more than a year ago, Europe has had no independent means of sending its satellites into space, while the war in Ukraine has cut Western ties to Russian Soyuz rockets, and Italy's Vega-C is grounded.
Ariane 6 is fundamental for Europe's space ambition, said Toni Tolker-Nielsen, ESA's acting director of space transportation, from the control room at Europe's spaceport. It is about sovereign access to space for institutional and governmental missions ... and this need has been even more emphasized in view of the geopolitical situation.
The Ariane 6 is scheduled for one more launch this year, six in 2025, and eight in 2026, as Europe seeks to regain its independent space capabilities and reduce its reliance on foreign launch providers.
