Ariane 6 Rocket : Launch
The European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launched the Ariane 6 rocket, for the first time, from French Guiana, marking Europe’s return to independent space access after delays and setbacks.
- It is the latest rocket in Europe’s Ariane rocket series (taking over from Ariane 5) that can launch missions from low-Earth orbit and farther out into deep space.
- Ariane-5 Rocket has been used to launch ISRO’s communication satellites like GSAT-11, GSAT-30, GSAT-31, ESA’s Juice mission and NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
- This debut flight carried nine cubesats into orbit, including NASA’s CubeSat Radio Interferometry Experiment (CURIE) and other satellites studying Earth’s climate and weather.
- The Vinci engine used in the upper stage is designed to restart repeatedly, allowing the operating agency to place payloads into several different orbits.
- 29 missions will be launched by Ariane 6 over the next several years and aims for up to 12 flights a year.
