The European Space Agency has waited nearly a decade for the first launch of Ariane 6, a powerful new rocket. But the brand new vehicle is finally ready to fly. If all goes well, European nations will once again have independent access to the final frontier, a crucial step for space exploration and the economic goals of countries and companies across the continent.
Here’s what you need to know about the maiden flight of the Ariane 6 heavy-lift launcher.
When will Ariane 6 launch and how can I watch it?
Ariane 6 is scheduled to launch on Tuesday, July 9, from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern Time, one hour into a launch window that began at 2 p.m. ESA described rainy conditions at the launch site, but said that The rocket refueling had been completed approximately two hours before the scheduled launch time.
ESA releases a live broadcast of the flight on YouTube, starting at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
Why does Europe need its own rockets?
Europe has been deprived of independent access to space since 2023, when Ariane 5, the vehicle that preceded Ariane 6, flew for the last timeAnother smaller ESA rocket, Vega-C, has been grounded since 2022 due to a flight failure.
In the past, many European missions have been carried out on board Russian Soyuz rockets. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to a breakdown in relations between the two countries in 2022, ending Europe’s use of Russian launchers.
At the same time, Europe needs to go into space, especially for climate monitoring, navigation satellites and exploration of the Moon, Mars and Earth. beyond — has only grown. Over the past year, key ESA missions have been launched on SpaceX rockets, including the agency’s Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer, two Galileo navigation system satellites and Euclid Space TelescopeHera, an ESA spacecraft that will visit a pair of asteroids, is scheduled to be launched by SpaceX in the fall.
Rather than relying on international partners, a locally built rocket could ensure that European missions, both institutional and commercial, are prioritised on their own terms.
What’s new about Ariane 6?
Built by ArianeGroup, a French aerospace company, Ariane 6 is the latest model in a family of rockets dating back to the 1970s.
Compared to the now-retired Ariane 5, the Ariane 6 benefits from several improvements, such as an upper stage powered by an engine that can be reignited up to four times. This allows missions requiring orbits at different altitudes to be carried out with a single rocket. The final boost can also be used to maneuver the upper stage out of orbit, where it will burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere instead of contributing to the explosion. growing population of space debris.
