Overview
- Ariane 6 lifted off from Kourou on Tuesday evening and completed satellite separation after 33 minutes and 51 seconds, beginning insertion toward a 693 km sun‑synchronous orbit.
- Designated VA265, the flight is the launcher’s fourth overall since 2024 and its third mission of 2025.
- Sentinel‑1D, built by Thales Alenia Space and weighing over two tonnes, carries an advanced radar instrument that captures images regardless of cloud cover or lighting.
- The satellite will supply data to track sea ice, icebergs and glaciers, and to detect oil spills, deforestation, floods and landslides linked to climate impacts.
- Arianespace has trimmed this year’s Ariane 6 launch plan to four missions with a Galileo flight expected in December, and its upcoming Kuiper contract work has drawn scrutiny over European space autonomy.