First Commercial Launch of European Ariane 6 Rocket Postponed

The launch was halted minutes before liftoff due to required adjustments to ground equipment, delaying a key milestone for European space independence.

• The Ariane 6 rocket's inaugural commercial launch was canceled shortly before its scheduled liftoff from Kourou, French Guiana, due to necessary ground equipment modifications.
• This mission was set to carry the CSO-3 military observation satellite, part of a European defense initiative led by France, into orbit.
• The Ariane 6 is designed to provide Europe with independent access to space, capable of deploying up to 21.6 tons of payload into orbit depending on the mission.
• The rocket, which first launched in July 2024 after years of delays, represents a more cost-effective but non-reusable successor to the Ariane 5, operational from 1996 to 2023.
• Despite its importance for European space autonomy, experts debate the Ariane 6's competitiveness against reusable rockets like SpaceX's Falcon 9.

3 Articles

Stern Der Tagesspiegel Sächsische Zeitung