Ariane 6 Rocket Finally Launches in Europe After 4-Year Delay

Photo : Reuters

Kourou, France – Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket successfully lifted off from the Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) on Tuesday, ending a four-year delay and marking a significant milestone in restoring the continent's independent access to space.

Initially delayed for an hour due to a minor problem detected in the morning, the rocket eventually launched into clear skies from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at 4 pm local time (1900 GMT).

The launch was a momentous occasion, attended by key figures such as European Space Agency (ESA) head Josef Aschbacher, who called it a "historic day for Europe." Philippe Baptiste, head of France's CNES space agency, proudly declared, "Europe is back."

The Ariane 6 rocket's successful lift-off was met with applause in the Jupiter control room, located 17 kilometers (10 miles) from the launch site. The atmosphere was initially tense, but cheers erupted when head of operations Raymond Boyce announced "propulsion nominal," indicating that the launch was proceeding as planned.

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The new rocket released satellites into orbit, a critical step in reestablishing Europe’s autonomous space capabilities. European space efforts have faced numerous challenges, including the four-year delay of Ariane 6, which left the continent without its own launch capability for the past year.

Despite a slight deviation from its trajectory towards the end of the flight, which prevented the rocket from carrying out its planned re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, the primary objective of placing satellites into orbit was achieved. "It's a great success despite the slight disappointment," said Walther Pelzer, head of Germany's DLR space agency.

The mission included a payload of university microsatellites, various experiments, and two atmospheric re-entry capsules, which were to be jettisoned near the end of the mission. The reusable Vinci engine in the rocket's upper stage was expected to re-enter Earth's atmosphere around three hours after liftoff, minimizing space debris.

The successful launch of Ariane 6 carried significant hopes for European sovereignty in space. Since the last flight of its predecessor, Ariane 5, a year ago, Europe has had to rely on competitors like Elon Musk's SpaceX for satellite launches. Selected by ESA in 2014, Ariane 6 is designed to place satellites in geostationary orbit 36,000 kilometers above Earth, as well as in lower orbits for satellite constellations.

The launch also underscored the intense competition in the space industry, particularly from SpaceX's fully reusable Falcon 9 rockets, which launch around twice a week. Europe’s independent launch capability has been compromised due to various setbacks, including Russia pulling its Soyuz rockets after the invasion of Ukraine and the grounding of Europe’s Vega-C light launcher following a launch failure.

Looking forward, the first commercial flight of Ariane 6 is expected before the end of the year after months of analyzing the inaugural launch. ESA space transportation director Toni Tolker-Nielsen highlighted the importance of "successfully ramping up" the number of flights, with six launches scheduled for next year and eight for 2026. The rocket already has an order book of 29 missions, many to deploy Amazon's Kuiper constellation of internet satellites.

However, the program faced a surprise setback just weeks before the launch when Europe's weather satellite operator EUMETSAT canceled plans to use Ariane 6 in favor of SpaceX's Falcon 9, citing "exceptional circumstances." ESA chief Josef Aschbacher expressed his disappointment, saying the decision was "difficult to understand."

The Ariane 6 launch was celebrated across Europe, with thousands in the French city of Toulouse watching the lift-off on a big screen at the Cite de l'Espace museum. Catherine Gerard, 56, described the experience as "something a bit magical."

The successful launch marks a new chapter for Europe's space ambitions, aiming to reclaim its position as a key player in the global space industry.