This is it! The Ariane 6 vehicle will be launched into space on 9 July 2024 from the European Space Centre in French Guiana, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher announced during the ILA Berlin Air Show, where he was was joined by Ariane 6 Task Force partners, ArianeGroup CEO Martin Sion, CNES CEO Philippe Baptiste and Arianespace CEO Stéphane Israël to announce this important milestone.
Ariane 6 is Europe’s new heavy launch vehicle, replacing its extremely successful predecessor, Ariane 5. Modular and agile, Ariane 6 is equipped with a retrofittable upper stage that allows multiple missions to be launched to different orbits in a single flight.
Aschbacher said in a previous interview: ‘Ariane 6 marks a new era of autonomous and versatile European space travel. This powerful rocket is the culmination of many years of dedication and ingenuity by thousands of people across Europe and, with its launch, will re-establish Europe’s independent access to space. I would like to thank the ground teams for their tireless hard work, teamwork and dedication in this final phase of the maiden launch campaign. Ariane 6 is the European rocket for today’s needs, adaptable to our future ambitions.”
For the development of Ariane 6, ESA is the Launch System Architect working with the prime contractor ArianeGroup for the development of the launch vehicle and with CNES for the development of the ground segment. ESA is the operator responsible for the maiden flight, while for subsequent flights Arianespace is the launch service provider that markets and operates the Ariane 6 launcher for institutional and commercial customers to launch a variety of missions into orbit.
ArianeGroup CEO Martin Sion said: “This flight will mark the culmination of years of development and testing by ArianeGroup teams and partners across Europe. It will pave the way for commercial operations and a significant ramp-up over the next two years. Ariane 6 is a powerful, versatile and scalable launcher that will ensure Europe’s autonomous access to space.”
The vehicle’s debut flight load consists of several satellites, (satellite) distributors and various experiments from space agencies, companies, research institutes, universities and young professionals.
CNES Director General Philippe Baptiste exclaimed ‘Once again, the announcement of the date of the maiden flight of Ariane 6 from the Guiana Space Centre represents a crucial step towards European sovereignty in terms of access to space. The achievement of this date was made possible by the colossal efforts of all the entities in the home straight. I would like to pay tribute to the collective success in overcoming the pitfalls over the months. Now to the final adjustments before the launch. Europe in space is ready for take-off: we are all united behind Ariane 6!”
“With 30 missions in our order book, Ariane 6 has already earned the trust of institutional and commercial customers. We are preparing to carry out the second Ariane 6 launch by the end of the year, followed by a steady increase to around ten launches per year once we reach cruising speed. It represents a wonderful challenge for Arianespace and our partners,” added Stéphane Israël, CEO of Arianespace.
“Ariane 6 is designed to be versatile, offering space actors customised launch options while keeping costs low,” explained Michel Bonnet, head of systems and mission engineering for Ariane 6 and responsible for ESA’s maiden flight of Ariane 6.
More info: media Kit Ariane6 Kit – https://www.arianespace.com/vehicle/ariane-6/