The European Space Agency launched the Ariane 6 rocket for the first time this Tuesday, July 9, 2024, from the French Guiana Space Center at 4 p.m. (1900 GMT). The inaugural flight aimed to deploy satellites in space and conduct experiments by European agencies, companies, and universities.
Developed by Ariane Group, a partnership between Airbus and Safran, the Ariane 6 had an estimated cost of 4 billion euros. It was delayed for 4 years due to various problems, including technical ones. The project also had setbacks due to political discussions about its financing and because of the pandemic.
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With 30 flights already contracted, including 18 for Amazon, which intends to launch the Kuiper telecommunications satellite constellation, Ariane 6 intends to reach its commercial and strategic potential.
Arianespace, the company that manages the project, plans to carry out the first commercial launch of Ariane 6 at the end of 2024, after 5 months of analyzing data from this inaugural flight. The expectation is that nine rockets will be launched annually from 2028 to 2029.
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Ariane 6 succeeds Ariane 5, which made its last flight in 2023, ending an era of 117 successful launches since 1996.
The new version of the rocket has two solid propellant boosters and can carry up to 10.3 tons to low Earth orbit. A more powerful version will increase capacity to up to 21.6 tons.
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