In “early April” the European Space Agency (ESA) expects to integrate the second booster stage onto the giant Ariane 6 rocket in readiness for the craft’s crucial inaugural flight from French Guiana. The debut flight is scheduled for between June 15th – July 31st. This pre-flight work is important and it is crucial that the […]

The central core of European Space Agency’s (ESA) giant Ariane 6 rocket has arrived in French Guiana, shipped from France on ESA’s own specialised vessel, Canopée. In time for its summer test-launch this year, Ariane 6 has arrived at the port of Pariacabo in Kourou, French Guiana – home of Europe’s Spaceport – and is […]

The first full test launch for the all-new Ariane 6 rocket will happen between June 15th and July 31st this year. The European Space Agency (ESA) issued a joint report from the Launcher Task Force on progress to date and its schedule for the future as it gears up to the summer test launch for […]

The launch of Europe’s scientific and commercial satellites has in general been handled by rockets from Arianespace. Currently, the company’s latest rocket, Ariane 6, is very late with its readiness and its first (non-test) flight will not happen – at best – until next winter. The delay has prompted a very direct criticism by the […]

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) giant Ariane 6 rocket remains firmly on track for a test launch in June-July 2024. The test flight confirmation came from the Ariane 6 Launcher Task Force, which consists of top management of ESA, as the overall Ariane 6 procuring entity and launch system architect, of the French space agency […]

The European Space Agency (ESA) issued a strong warning to contractors supplying components for its new Ariane 6 rocket. They will be barred from raising prices over and above their originally quoted costs – and that ESA expects prices to be reduced. Phillippe Baptiste, head of France’s CNES space agency, said this was not the […]

The European Space Agency (ESA) successfully ‘hot test’ fired the giant engine for the much-awaited Ariane 6 rocket. ESA said that the November 23rd engine test added to a full-scale rehearsal including the proposed countdown all went well. The first test-launch of the complete rocket is scheduled for Q4 next year. The Vulcain 2.1 engine […]

Government members of the European Space Agency (ESA) have agreed to fund an extra €340 million per year to Arianespace for its planned Ariane 6 rocket currently in development. The cash is needed to pay for the non-activity of Arianespace because its new rocket is extremely late. An inaugural test flight for Ariane 6 is […]

Josef Aschbacher, Director General at the European Space Agency (ESA), says that planned pre-launch testing schedule for the new Ariane 6 rocket has been amended in order to “optimise” the timetable. Aschbacher said: “In order to optimise the #Ariane6 testing schedule, the test sequence has been inverted. This allows us to anticipate the launch rehearsal […]

Ariane 6, the giant replacement rocket for the European Space Agency (ESA), is already delayed until the end of 2024. Now the ESA says that is medium-lift rocket, Vega-C, is also delayed until Q4/2024. The news means that Europe doesn’t have a working rocket to launch commercial, scientific or military satellites, other than two remaining […]