Copernical Team
Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket powers into space
Countdown to first launch of Europe's Ariane 6 rocket
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After four years of delays, Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket is set to blast off for the first time on Tuesday, carrying with it the continent's hopes of regaining independent access to space.
The inaugural flight of the European Space Agency's (ESA) most powerful rocket yet is scheduled to launch from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at 3pm local time (1800 GMT).
Since the last flight of the rocket's workhorse predecessor, Ariane 5, a year ago, Europe has been unable to launch satellites or other missions into space without relying on rivals such as Elon Musk's US firm SpaceX.
So many will be nervously watching the launch, hoping it can bring an end to a difficult era for European space efforts.
Ariane 6 the day of launch
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Ariane 6 the day of launch Ariane 6 revealed as nine-story mobile building rolls back from the launch pad
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Ariane 6 revealed as nine-story mobile building rolls back from the launch pad Ariane 6 sees 'first light' as mobile gantry is rolled back before fuelling begins
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Ariane 6 sees 'first light' as mobile gantry is rolled back before fuelling begins Ariane 6 from above in the final hours before liftoff
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Ariane 6 from above in the final hours before liftoff SpaceX sends up Space Coast's 50th rocket launch of the year
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SpaceX continued the Space Coast's record rocket launch pace with a July 8 evening liftoff from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
A Falcon 9 rocket on the Turksat-6A mission carrying a Turkish communications satellite to a geosynchronous transfer orbit lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time.
This was the 15th flight of the first-stage booster, which made a recovery landing downrange on the droneship Just Read the Instructions stationed in the Atlantic.
It was the 50th launch of the year from either Canaveral or neighboring Kennedy Space Center, with SpaceX responsible for 47 of them.
The other three have been from United Launch Alliance during a year that could see more than 100 missions fly for the first time, besting 2023's record of 72 launches.
Both SpaceX and ULA have more launch plans for later this month, including SpaceX's next Starlink launch, slated for July 12. ULA is targeting no earlier than July 30 for an Atlas V mission on the USSF-51 mission for the Space Force, while SpaceX is prepping for the return of billionaire Jared Isaacman to space on the Polaris Dawn mission no earlier than July 31.
Call for ideas on navigation demonstrators and technologies
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Do you want to help shape the future of European satellite navigation? ESA is issuing an open call via OSIP for companies and researchers to help identify future navigation demonstrators and disruptive technologies that will shape the landscape of satellite navigation in the coming decades.
Blue Origin and Stoke Space Join US Space Force OSP-4 Launch Contract
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The U.S. Space Force's Small Launch and Targets Division at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a segment of Space Systems Command's (SSC) Assured Access to Space (AATS) program, announced the addition of Blue Origin and Stoke Space Technologies Inc. to the Orbital Services Program (OSP)-4 Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract.
OSP-4, part of the Rocket Sy Airbus Secures Major Contract for Bundeswehr's Advanced Military Satellite System
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The German Bundeswehr has selected Airbus for the SATCOMBw 3 prime contract, a next-generation secure military satellite system project, worth euro 2.1 billion. This contract encompasses geostationary satellites, ground segment, launch, and operation for a 15-year period, with deployments expected by the decade's end.
Michael Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space, remarked, "After t 
