Overview

• Ariane 6, developed by the European Space Agency, is set for its first commercial launch today from Kourou, French Guiana, carrying the CSO-3 military satellite.
• The mission will complete France's optical surveillance mini-constellation, enhancing defense intelligence capabilities after delays since 2022.
• The rocket, designed to replace Ariane 5, offers two configurations (Ariane 62 and Ariane 64) to optimize costs and mission flexibility.
• The launch symbolizes Europe's regained space autonomy after losing access to Soyuz rockets and facing setbacks with its Vega-C program.
• Ariane 6 has secured a robust order book with 32 missions planned, including contributions to Amazon's Kuiper satellite internet project.