The maiden flight of Europe’s new heavy launcher, Ariane 6, lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana at 16:00 local time on 9 July (+4 20:00 BST, 21:00 CEST). Ariane 6 emerges as an advanced successor to its predecessor, Ariane 5, introducing a modular and versatile design. Capable of launching missions from low Earth orbit to deep space, this launcher is set to be a pillar of Europe’s space strategy for decades to come.
“The launch of a completely new rocket is an exceptional event and success is by no means guaranteed. It is a privilege for me to have witnessed the historic moment of the successful take-off of the new generation of European launchers of the Ariane family, which fully restores Europe’s autonomous access to space”he has declared Josef Aschbacher, Director General of ESA. “A maiden launch is a huge undertaking, the result of years of tireless work by thousands of people. The outstanding performance of Ariane 6 on its first launch attempt is proof of their dedication and demonstrates European excellence in engineering and technology. I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the teams at ESA, CNES, ArianeGroup, Arianespace for their commitment to achieving today’s result. I also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the ESA Member States for making the Ariane 6 programme possible and supporting it along the way. It has not always been easy, but perseverance has paid off today.“.
This event not only represents the culmination of years of commitment and innovation, but also marks the strengthening of European autonomy in access to space. The success of Ariane 6 is the result of collaboration between numerous entities and ESA member countries, with the aim of investing in technologies that guarantee European independence and progress in space. Every aspect of the launch — from the construction of the launcher to the management of the launch pad — was taken care of in great detail to ensure not only the success of the mission but also the safety and efficiency of the process. Ariane 6 is a launcher funded by the European Space Agency, specifically by 13 Member States. 55.6% of the funds were covered by France, Germany and Italy covered 20.8% and 7.7% respectively..
On the occasion of the launch, Philippe Baptiste, CEO of CNEShe has declared: “With this first successful launch of Ariane 6, Europe has regained its ability to access space. Beyond the great emotion I feel, my first thoughts go to all the teams in Kourou, Paris, Vernon, Les Mureaux, Toulouse, Bremen, Lampoldshausen, Liège, Barcelona, Colleferro, Zurich and all the other locations in Europe who made this success possible. I would like to pay tribute to the commitment of the employees of CNES, ESA, ArianeGroup, Arianespace and our subcontractors. The last few months have been intense and I would like to thank them all. Europe can be proud of its programme, proud of its knowledge and expertise. Together, let’s prepare the future of launchers and space.”
“The successful maiden flight of Ariane 6 marks the entry of the European space sector into a new era“, he has declared Martin Sion, CEO of ArianeGroup. “This historic launch demonstrates the tireless commitment of our teams and partners, whom I would like to thank warmly for this success, which is attributable to the entire European industrial sector. The liftoff of Europe’s new launcher into space is the culmination of an extraordinary technical and technological adventure and the beginning of a long period of activity for Ariane 6. The next flight models are already in production and the stages of the second model will be transported this autumn to the space centre in French Guiana for the first commercial flight of Ariane 6.”
The The next launch of Ariane 6 is scheduled for this year with the first commercial flightwith Arianespace as operator and launch services provider. “The success of the first flight marks the beginning of the operational activity of Ariane 6, which will guarantee Europe autonomous access to space”, added Stéphane Israël, CEO of Arianespace. “The reservations for the new launcher are proof of the versatility of Ariane 6 and its ability to carry out a wide range of missions in different orbits. They demonstrate the trust that customers place in Ariane 6 for their institutional and commercial missions. We are eager to start using our new launcher”.
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