Ariane 6 in space for the first time

the new European Ariane 6 launch vehicle It went into space for the first time. The rocket was launched against 9:00 PM (CEST) From the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

The Ariane 6 is the successor model to the Ariane 5, which was in use from 1996 to the summer of 2023. It is intended to carry satellites into space for commercial and public customers and is much cheaper than its predecessor.

For ESA Director-General Josef Aschbacher, this represents a milestone. Ariana 6 One new era Space travel is independent and versatile. The rocket can deliver satellites to different orbits. It can be equipped with two or four boosters and launch geostationary satellites with a total weight of 11.5 tons into space. For low Earth orbit satellites, the total weight can reach 21.6 tons.

Use it at least until the mid-2030s.

The European Space Agency plans to use the rocket, originally scheduled to fly in 2020, at least until the mid-2030s. The first commercial launch of Ariane 6 is scheduled before the end of the year. Germany is, after France, the most important donor to Ariane 6 among ESA countries, with around 20 percent. The rocket’s upper stage is being assembled at the Bremen plant of the aerospace company ArianeGroup. The main stage will be built in the French town of Les Mureaux.

After the last Ariane 5 rocket launched into space almost a year ago, ESA no longer has its own carriers to bring large satellites into space. There have also been problems with lighter satellites: after Vega C failed on its first commercial flight in December 2022, no further attempts have been made. It is due to return to space in mid-November.