Copernical Team
Europe's Ariane 6 rocket successfully launches for first time
Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket blasted off for the first time smoothly on Tuesday, carrying with it the continent's hopes of regaining independent access to space.
The much-delayed inaugural flight of the European Space Agency's most powerful rocket yet launched from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at 4pm local time (1900 GMT).
Crews on the ground at the launch site, which is surrounded by jungle on the South American coast, applauded as the rocket soared into clear skies.
Ariane 6's first launch, which was originally planned for 2020, is hoped to bring an end to a difficult time for European space efforts.
Since the last flight of its 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.
ESA chief Josef Aschbacher said it was a "very important moment for Europe".
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Neutron stars, with their extreme densities and mysterious interiors, remain enigmatic to astrophysicists. Despite having a radius of around twelve kilometers, they can possess over twice the mass of the sun, with matter packed up to five times denser than an atomic nucleus. Alongside black holes, neutron stars are the densest objects in the universe. Under such intense conditions, matter can tr First SKA-Mid Dish Installed in South Africa
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Launch of Ariane 6 VA262 on 9 July 2024 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
This is Europe’s newest heavy-lift rocket, designed to provide greater power and flexibility at a lower cost than its predecessors. The launcher’s configuration – with an upgraded main stage, a choice of either two or four powerful boosters and a new restartable upper stage – will provide Europe with greater efficiency and possibility as it can launch multiple missions into different orbits on a single flight, while its upper stage will be able to deorbit itself at the end of missions.
