ESA's Ariane 6 Set for First Launch, Ending Europe's Dependency

TapTechNews July 8th, the next-generation heavy-lift launch vehicle Ariane 6 of the European Space Agency (ESA) is about to have its first launch, breaking Europe's situation of being unable to independently enter space for up to a year. The launch vehicle, manufactured by the Ariane Group, will replace Ariane 5, which retired after its 117th flight in July last year. The launch window will open at 8 p.m. Central European Summer Time on July 9 (TapTechNews note: 2 a.m. Beijing time on July 10).

According to TapTechNews, from 1996 to 2023, Ariane 5 has always been the main launch system of the European Space Agency. Ariane 6 was originally planned to take over immediately after the predecessor's retirement, but due to delays in the development process for many years, it was finally not put into use in time. Therefore, in the past year, the European Space Agency has had to rely on other launch service providers, such as SpaceX, in order to send scientific missions into space. If everything goes well for Ariane 6, Europe will return to the space launch stage.

Ariane 6 marks a new era of autonomous and multifunctional space travel in Europe, said European Space Agency Director General Josef Aschbacher in June, and added that it will rebuild Europe's ability to independently enter space.

Ariane 6 will be launched from the European Spaceport in French Guiana, and the launch process will be live-streamed on ESA Web TV.