Arianespace announced on November 8 that the second launch of its Ariane 6 rocket, also the vehicle’s first commercial mission, has been postponed from December to no earlier than mid-February 2025. This mission, which will deploy the CSO 3 reconnaissance satellite for the French military, marks the first Ariane 6 launch to be fully managed by Arianespace.
Credit: ESA
The Ariane 6, developed by ESA and manufactured by ArianeGroup, represents a crucial upgrade in European launch capabilities. With the phasing out of the Ariane 5, Ariane 6 is intended to provide Europe with independent access to space, reinforcing the continent’s competitiveness in the global space market. Unlike its predecessor, the Ariane 6 is designed with modularity in mind, enabling it to support both heavy and medium-lift missions. The vehicle is expected to be more cost-effective, allowing Arianespace to offer competitive pricing while meeting the growing demand for commercial, government, and scientific missions to a variety of orbits.
The importance of Ariane 6 for ESA extends beyond commercial competitiveness—it is a cornerstone for maintaining European autonomy in space access. As reliance on non-European rockets, particularly those from the United States, becomes more prevalent, the Ariane 6 ensures that Europe retains the capability to launch its own satellites, scientific missions, and, potentially, crewed missions. This autonomy is particularly critical for ESA's ambitious scientific agenda, which includes planetary exploration missions, Earth observation satellites, and space-based telecommunications.
Originally, Arianespace and ESA anticipated the Ariane 6’s second launch would take place by the end of this year. In September, Arianespace CEO Stéphane Israël expressed optimism about a December timeline, aligning with the anticipated return of the Vega C rocket on December 3. The Ariane 6’s inaugural launch took place in July 2024 and was largely successful, despite an issue that prevented the upper stage from performing a planned deorbit burn due to a temperature measurement anomaly in the auxiliary power unit (APU). Engineers have since implemented a software adjustment to address this issue.
In its November 8 statement, Arianespace noted that the delay was not attributed to a specific issue but rather “a small number of deviations” identified during the July launch. Both the Ariane 6’s core and upper stages are being prepared in France and Germany, and will soon be shipped to the Guiana Space Centre for final launch preparations.
Martin Sion, CEO of ArianeGroup, emphasized the significance of the adjustments made to the Ariane 6 following the inaugural mission. “The careful analysis enabled us to make a number of adjustments in preparation for Ariane 6’s future missions and confirm the quality of development of Europe’s new heavy-lift launcher and its ability to carry out all missions to all orbits,” Sion stated.
ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, during an October 24 ESA Council meeting, emphasized the importance of Ariane 6 for Europe’s space sector, affirming that it remains “on a good track.” He noted that although the timeline for the second launch has shifted, the development of Ariane 6 as a reliable heavy-lift launcher for Europe is on course.
Despite the delay, Arianespace assured that the revised February schedule would not impact future missions. While a formal timeline is yet to be released, Arianespace Chief Commercial Officer Steven Rutgers previously shared plans to conduct six Ariane 6 launches in 2025, underscoring the vehicle's pivotal role in supporting Europe’s space ambitions.
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