Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
On July 9, Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket launched for the first time from the Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at 3:01 p.m. EDT (1901 GMT).
Credit : ESA
Development of the Ariane 6 began in late 2014, with an initial launch planned for 2020. The timeline slipped due to technical issues and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The mission was crucial for Europe, aiming to restore its capability to launch large satellites domestically after the Ariane 5’s retirement in 2023.
The Ariane 6’s debut flight carried nine cubesats into orbit, including NASA’s Cubesat Radio Interferometry Experiment (CURIE) and other satellites studying Earth’s climate and weather.
Ariane 6, built by ArianeGroup and operated by Arianespace, has two variants: A62 with two strap-on solid rocket boosters (SRBs) and A64 with four SRBs. It can deliver 11.4 tons (A62) and 23.8 tons (A64) to low Earth orbit.
The Ariane 6 is expected to be more cost-effective than its predecessor, with estimates suggesting it will cost around 75 million euros ($81 million US) per launch, compared to Ariane 5’s 150 million euros ($162 million US).
During the mission’s “tech demo” phase, the rocket’s upper stage experienced an issue with the auxiliary power unit (APU), preventing the deployment of two experimental reentry capsules.
The Ariane 6 already has 30 flights scheduled, with plans to ramp up to 10 flights per year by 2027. The next mission is expected later this year for the French Ministry of Defence.