The European Space Agency launches the Ariane 6 rocket on July 9, 2024.
Courtesy: ESA
The powerful European-made Ariane 6 rocket completed its long-awaited liftoff on Tuesday, returning the region to a launch market dominated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
The 200-foot-tall Ariane 6, powered by Vulcain engines and a pair of boosters, launched from Kourou, French Guiana, at 3 p.m. ET.
The rocket was built at a cost of approximately $4.5 billion by ArianeGroup, a joint venture between Airbus and Safran, overseen by the European Space Agency (ESA). Thirteen countries are participating in the Ariane 6 programme.
It is the latest in a line of European rockets dating back to the 1970s, succeeding the Ariane 5 rocket, which launched 117 times before being retired last year. Ariane 6 comes in two versions: Ariane 62, with two solid rocket boosters that can deliver up to 10,000 kilograms of cargo to low Earth orbit (LEO); and Ariane 64, a model Equipped with four solid rocket boosters, it can transport up to 21,000 kilograms to low-Earth orbit.
The European Space Agency (ESA) satellite launcher Ariane 6 rocket moves to the launch pad before liftoff at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, on July 9, 2024.
Jodi Amit | AFP | Getty Images
In the launch market, Ariane 6 is a “heavy” rocket.
The first flight of Ariane 6 is an ESA demonstration mission that will carry a variety of small satellites and spacecraft. After liftoff, the flight will last nearly three hours to complete the deployment of 11 spacecraft and include a series of key tests of the rocket’s upper-stage engine.
Delayed appearance
The European Space Agency (ESA) satellite launcher Ariane 6 rocket launched for the first time on July 9, 2024 from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana.
Jodi Amit | AFP | Getty Images
The Ariane 6’s maiden voyage has been delayed for several years due to technical problems, the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
After a full-scale invasion of neighboring Russia Suspend all European mission launches in its Soyuz rocket. Another smaller European rocket, Vega-C, has been grounded since a launch failure in 2022 and is not expected to fly again until later this year at the earliest.
Despite rising costs and lengthy delays, European leaders continue to support the Ariane 6 program, stressing the importance of the continent having its own access to space rather than relying on SpaceX.
But Europe has repeatedly turned to SpaceX out of necessity, as the company enjoys a near-monopoly in the global launch market.
SpaceX’s reusable and relatively affordable Falcon 9 rocket offers a compelling alternative to spacecraft that have been waiting for Ariane 6 to begin flying. High-profile ESA missions such as the EarthCARE spacecraft, the Euclid telescope and the Galileo satellite have launched on SpaceX rockets.
Last month, the European meteorological satellite operator EUMETSAT made an “exceptional” decision Switching plans for upcoming satellite launches from Ariane 6 to Falcon 9 — a choice that has been derided by other European officials.
Philippe Baptiste, head of France’s Center National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), wrote in a statement: “I can’t wait to find out what led European Meteorological Satellite to take such a decision.” postal on social media.
“How far will we, Europeans, go in our naivety?” Baptiste added.
It’s worth noting that while most US companies looking to challenge SpaceX are leaning towards reusable rocket technology, Ariane 6, like its predecessor, is disposable – meaning each vehicle is It is a one-time use and will be discarded after the task is completed.
It’s not just Europe’s desire to get into space that’s driving the Ariane 6 rocket. There is another important client awaiting release: Amazon. The US tech giant has ordered 97 rocket launches from five companies, nearly a fifth of which was won by Arianespace to launch the Kuiper Project internet satellite aboard Ariane 6.
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