Ariane 6 Embarks on First Commercial Launch, Marking Europe's Space Comeback

The European rocket aims to secure autonomous access to space with the launch of a French military satellite after months of delays.

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.