The successful inaugural test flight of the European Space Agency’s Ariane 6 series rocket, which was made in France, has put the continent back on track in terms of space exploration and study, and marks a new chapter for the agency.
At 9pm CET on 9th July, the French-built Ariane 6 series rocket, dubbed VA262, lifted off from the Spaceport in French Guiana. Its mission was to carry into orbit a set of next-generation satellites, which were released at an altitude of 600 kilometres above Earth.
The excitement over the launch has been widespread, with the ESA’s Director General Josef Aschbacher saying, “A completely new rocket is not launched often, and success is far from guaranteed. I am privileged to have witnessed this historic moment when Europe’s new generation of the Ariane family lifted off – successfully – effectively reinstating European access to space.”
Built by Parisian company ArianeGroup with the support of the French Space Agency, CNES, the Ariane 6 series has the ability to launch missions from low-Earth orbits and deploy multiple payloads thanks to its auxiliary propulsion unit that is capable of restarting the rocket’s engines.
“The beginning of a long history of Ariane 6 operations”
The next Ariane 6 flight is planned for later this year and it will be the rocket’s first commercial endeavour.
“The new launcher’s order book is proof of the versatility of Ariane 6 and of its capacity to accomplish a wide range of missions into multiple orbits,” said Stéphane Israël, CEO of Arianespace. “It reflects the confidence that customers have in Ariane 6 for both their institutional and commercial missions. We are eager to begin operating our new launcher.”
This new age of European space flight is not to be underestimated, according to Martin Sion, CEO of ArianeGroup.
“With the successful first flight of Ariane 6, the European space industry has moved into a new era,” he said. “This historic launch demonstrates the unfailing commitment of our teams and partners, whom I would like to thank warmly for this success, which reflects on the entire European industry. Seeing Europe’s new launcher lift off into space marks the culmination of an outstanding technical and technological adventure, and the beginning of a long history of Ariane 6 operations.”
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Main photo credit: CNES/ESA/Arianespace-ArianeGroup/Optique Vidéo CSG/S.Martin-P.Piron