Washington: The next launch of Europe's Ariane 6 rocket, initially set for December, is now postponed to mid-February 2025, as announced by Arianespace on Nov. 8. This mission will be the Ariane 6’s second flight and its first commercial launch, carrying the CSO 3 reconnaissance satellite for the French military.
Since the rocket’s largely successful debut in July, Arianespace and the European Space Agency (ESA) initially aimed for a second launch by December. However, updated schedules now place the launch in the first quarter of 2025.
In mid-September, Stéphane Israël, CEO of Arianespace, mentioned that they anticipated the Ariane 6 launch in December, following the return to flight of the Vega C on Dec. 3. A review of the Ariane 6’s inaugural flight showed that a temperature measurement anomaly had prevented the upper stage’s auxiliary power unit (APU) from completing a planned deorbit burn. Engineers have since implemented a software update to resolve the issue.
Arianespace cited a few minor data deviations from the July launch but reported that these have been addressed. Both the rocket’s core and upper stages remain in France and Germany for final checks and will soon be shipped to the French Guiana launch site. Preparations at the launch facilities are underway to support this launch and future missions.
Martin Sion, CEO of ArianeGroup, the primary contractor for Ariane 6, expressed confidence in the rocket’s development after extensive data analysis from the first launch. “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,” Sion said.
While ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher deferred scheduling updates to Arianespace, he assured the program’s progress remains steady. Although a formal timeline for subsequent launches has not been released, Arianespace’s chief commercial officer, Steven Rutgers, projected six Ariane 6 launches for 2025.
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