Europe's new launch vehicle: Maiden flight of Ariane 6 to take place on July 9
After many delays, the time has come in a month's time: Ariane 6 is to take off for the first time and give Europe its own access to space again.
Ideally, it will look like this on July 9.
(Image: ESA)
Europe's new heavy launcher is scheduled to make its maiden flight on July 9. The European Space Agency announced at the International Aerospace Exhibition in Berlin that Ariane 6 will then take off from Europe's Kourou spaceport in French Guiana. The successor to the extremely successful Ariane 5 marks the beginning of a new era of autonomous and versatile space travel for Europe, explained ESA CEO Josef Aschbacher. It represents the culmination of many years of dedication and ingenuity by thousands of people throughout Europe and will once again give the continent independent access to space.
30 launches already booked
Now that a launch date has been officially set, we are entering the home straight. Martion Sion, head of ArianeGroup, which is building Ariane 6, added that the final steps were being taken with full commitment. The second launch should therefore take place before the end of the year. As soon as everything has settled down, around ten Ariane 6s will take off each year. According to the ESA, there are already bookings for 30 launches, which shows the great confidence customers have in the new rocket. Two years ago, however, the US company Amazon booked 18 of these launches, which it intends to use to launch internet satellites for its Starlink competitor "Project Kuiper" into space.
Ariane 6 is the successor to Ariane 5, which has been in use since 1996 and has now completed its last launch. Work on the rocket has been significantly delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, among other things. But even after the end of the pandemic, the schedules could not be adhered to. A year and a half ago, it was said that the first launch of an Ariane 6 would take place in April 2023 at the earliest, but this did not work out. At the beginning of August, the ESA then admitted that it would not work out in 2023 either. The delay in commissioning has plunged Europe's space industry into a crisis. It will only end when the new rocket lifts off reliably and at the desired rate.
(mho)