Today ESA is preparing to launch its first Ariane 6 rocket from French Guiana in South America. The continent has been waiting a long time for this moment after several delays to various parts of the rocket.
Weather and systems have shown no issues during the early parts of the count. ESA has a liftoff time set for 3:00 P.M. ET from its brand new launch site at the Guiana Space Centre. The Ariane 6 will replace the retired Ariane 5 rocket that last launched almost one year ago to the date (July 5, 2023).
While the Ariane 6 and 5 are very similar in performance, the Ariane 6 is much lower in launch cost which will hopefully make it more competitive in the commercial launch market. However, the rocket will still face fierce competition by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 but for ESA missions, it might have a new homebuilt ride to space.
You can watch live coverage of Ariane 6’s first launch on ESA’s YouTube channel:
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