PREVIEW

Europe's Ariane 6 Rocket Makes Inaugural Flight. Europe’s new heavy-lift rocket, Ariane 6, made its hotly anticipated inaugural flight from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana at 8 pm BST on 9 July 2024. Ariane 6, the latest in Europe’s prestigious Ariane rocket series can undertake missions ranging from low-Earth orbit to deep space exploration. This inaugural flight, designated VA262, served as a demonstration of Ariane 6's capabilities. Despite being a test flight, it carried several non-human ‘passengers’ - including satellites and research experiments designed for space. One hour after liftoff, at 21:06 BST, the first set of satellites was released into an orbit 600 km above Earth. These satellites and experiments came from various space agencies, companies, research institutes, universities, and young professionals. The successful launch also validated the new custom-built launch pad and operations at Europe’s Spaceport.The next Ariane 6 launch, planned for later this year, will be its first commercial flight under Arianespace.