European satellite launcher set for first commercial blast-off
After several postponements, Europe’s Ariane 6 launcher will carry out its first commercial mission on Monday when it puts a French military intelligence satellite into space.
The launch from the Kourou base in French Guiana is key to Europe’s efforts to build up its security autonomy amid the shocks caused by the US-Russia diplomatic rapprochement.
“The whole world is watching us,” Arianespace chief executive David Cavailloles told Agence France-Presse this month.
Ariane 5 was retired in 2023 and Europe has not been able to use Russia’s Soyuz rocket for satellite launches since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Ariane 6 underwent a successful test in July last year and is scheduled to carry out five launches this year.
First scheduled in December, the launch was put back until February 26 and then March 3 – at 16:24GMT – because of problems getting the satellite to the Kourou base, according to Arianespace.
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