The European Space Agency (ESA) has postponed the first launch of the Ariane 6 rocket. This means that Europe still does not have independent access to Earth orbit.
Ariane 6 is a European heavy launch vehicle that still cannot replace Ariane 5, which made its last (117th) flight a few weeks ago. COVID-19 and difficulties during development have led to the fact that Ariane 6 has not yet been put into operation, although it was planned to be done in 2020.
[1/5] Here below please find the updated schedule for #Ariane6 development. With this, @ESA, @ArianeGroup, @Arianespace and @CNES confirm that the inaugural launch is now targeted for 2024.
– Stéphane Israël (@arianespaceceo) August 8, 2023
With the last Ariane 5 launch and the failure of Vega-C, Europe was left without independent access to Earth orbit. ESA wants to get permission to allow the American company SpaceX to launch European cargo into space.
There is no exact date for the first launch of Ariane 6 yet. However, it will definitely not happen in 2023. ESA has postponed its debut launch to 2024. The timing will be clarified after fire tests, the results of which will be announced on September 26, 2023. This was announced by Stéphane Israël, CEO of Arianespace.
