The European Space Agency (ESA) Announces the Launch of Ariane 6 Carrier Rocket
The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced the launch of the Ariane 6 carrier rocket, scheduled for July 9 from the spaceport in French Guiana. This will be the debut flight of this rocket, which will orbit a number of small satellites and scientific experiment facilities.
Martin Sion, the executive director of ArianeGroup, stated that the preparation of Ariane 6 is nearing completion, and experts are preparing to conduct final tests, including fueling tests and countdown rehearsals scheduled for June 18.
Earlier, ESA reported that the launch would take place between June 15 and July 31, but now a specific date has been set. During the first flight of Ariane 6, it will orbit eight small «cubesat» satellites and several scientific experiment facilities.
ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher previously called the Ariane 6 launch a «major event of the year» for Europe in the space sector, as it will help overcome the crisis of launch vehicles in the region. Although there is a possibility of an unsuccessful launch, if everything goes smoothly, a second launch will take place by the end of the year. Ariane 6 will be available in two versions for different tasks in space.
