Europe’s Ariane-6 rocket maiden flight expected by summer, space agency boss says

After almost three years of delay, the first flight of Europe’s last-generation space rocket Ariane-6 is now planned for the summer, the European Space Agency’s boss Josef Aschbacher said on Thursday (11 January).

“We are on track for the inaugural flights of Ariane-6 mid-June and end of July and return flight of Vega-C before the end of the year,” Aschbacher told reporters of the launch that was initially scheduled for 2020, but delayed due to problems with ground equipment and the COVID-19 pandemic.

ESA has delayed launching the next series of European navigation satellites Galileo, dubbed as ‘European GPS’, since March 2022, as it lacked the European rockets to do so.

“Galileo is ready for launch, and waiting for the green light of the European Commission for the launches,” Aschbacher said, adding there are still “some details to be confirmed”.

EU officials speaking on the condition of anonymity have warned that the viability of the 28-satellite-strong constellation’s services might be put in jeopardy if delays continue.

The EU had faced a rocket launcher availability crisis when Moscow withdrew from the French Guyana-based launchpad of Kourou in the spring of 2022 in retaliation for the bloc’s sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which left the EU with no rocket for the Galileo satellites.

European launcher provider ArianeGroup’s new rocket Ariane-6 has since 2020 failed to pass tests and put to on the market, which has left Europe with no sovereign way to launch its satellites independently.

As the situation became critical, the EU started working on an agreement with SpaceX to launch its new generation of navigation system Galileo satellites, as Euractiv reported earlier.

The discussions to conclude the deal are ongoing for launches in April and June, Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton, also in charge of Space, said in November.

Despite Breton’s ambitions for a fully-fledged European launcher strategy, the European Commission’s strategy on space and defence, published last spring, didn’t go further.

This time last year, Aschbacher admitted there was an awareness that “there is a launcher crisis” and said he “hopes everything goes according to plan and we will reestablish access to space with Ariane-6.”

Four Galileo satellites in 2024

At the same time, ESA Director of Space transportation, Toni Tolker-Nielsen, told reporters that the agency is “planning to launch four of the Galileo satellites this year”, out of the ten ready to be launched.

The remaining six satellites of the first generation ”will be launched from 2025 onwards, and we have in addition 12 satellites of the second generation under production, which will be ready for launch from 2026 onwards”, he added.

Until now, the system “is working very well, with excellent performance” he said, before adding “but we need more satellites in orbit in order to reinforce the continuity of the constellation and continue providing excellent services to users worldwide”.

Toni Tolker-Nielsen said Vega-C will return to flight on 15 November, after Europe has had to use American provider SpaceX.

When it comes to the Earth-observation satellites Copernicus, Aschbacher said ESA expects the launch of two satellites this year, but that they await the European Commission’s launch decision.

[Edited by Alexandra Brzozowski/Alice Tayor]

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