The European Space Agency has finally revealed a slot for this highly anticipated first flight of the Ariane 5 successor. The development of the new European heavy launcher has suffered from numerous delays.
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The inaugural launch of the European Ariane 6 rocket is planned between June 15 and July 31, 2024, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced Thursday, November 30. “It’s a good day for space Europe”, declared Josef Aschbacher, director of the ESA, during a press conference. The first flight of the future European heavy launcher was initially planned for 2020, but delays have accumulated.
🚀 #Ariane6 first launch is now targeted between mid June and end of July 2024!
With the latest test complete, Ariane 6 has been through the essential rehearsals required for qualification. We have validated our models, increased our knowledge of operations and are now confident… pic.twitter.com/1Ak7qJSSDu
— Josef Aschbacher (@AschbacherJosef) November 30, 2023
The Ariane 5 rocket took off for the last time on July 5, bowing out due in particular to a high cost. More powerful and more competitive with costs halved, the new version was designed to resist Elon Musk’s American company SpaceX, which carries out more than one shot per week. The successive postponements have not prevented the order book from filling up, since around thirty launches are already planned. It now remains to make this program a reality.