Space travel - New European launcher Ariane 6 launched
The new European carrier rocket Ariane 6 has taken off to space for the first time. The rocket lifted off at 21.00 hours (MESZ) from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Europe's space sector aims to leave the crisis behind and establish a new access to space for satellites with the start of the Ariane 6.
The Ariane 6 is the successor model of the Ariane 5, which was in use from 1996 to summer 2023. It is intended to promote satellites for commercial and public clients into space and is significantly cheaper than its predecessors.
For the head of the European Space Agency (ESA), Josef Aschbacher, the Ariane 6 marks a new era of autonomous and versatile space travel. The rocket can deliver satellites into various orbits. It can be equipped with two or four boosters and can launch geostationary satellites with a total weight of 11.5 tons into space. For satellites with a lower Earth orbit, a total weight of up to 21.6 tons is possible.
The ESA plans to use the rocket, which was originally scheduled to fly into space in 2020, at least until the middle of the 2030s. The Ariane 6 is expected to make its first commercial start before the end of the year.
Germany, after France, is the most significant contributor to the Ariane 6 among ESA countries with around 20%. The upper stage of the rocket is assembled in the Bremen workshop of the space consortium ArianeGroup. The main stage is built in the French town of Les Mureaux.
Since the last Ariane 5 took off to space almost exactly a year ago, the ESA had no longer had its own transporters to bring large satellites into space. There were also problems with lighter satellites: After the failed commercial launch of Vega C in its first flight in December 2022, no further attempts were made. It is scheduled to fly again in mid-November.
- The crisis in Europe's space sector has been aimed at being left behind with the successful launch of the new European carrier rocket Ariane 6.
- The first space travel of the Ariane 6 carrier rocket was conducted from the European spaceport in Kouru, French Guiana, which is significant for space travel in Europe and France.
- The failure in the commercial launch of Vega C in December 2022 caused problems for lighter satellites, with no further attempts made until a scheduled mid-November launch.
- The success of the Ariane 6 space travel is expected to encourage space travel in France and across Europe, promoting science and technological advancements in space travel and satellite technology.
