Europe's Ariane 6 launcher is to carry out its first commercial mission Monday when it puts a French military intelligence satellite into space.

Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket successfully deployed a French spy satellite in its first fully operational launch on Thursday, ...

Europe's new heavy-lift rocket Ariane 6 carried out its first commercial mission on Thursday, launching without a hitch and ...

The rocket and satellite are "stable and safe," Arianespace said ... with the first two launched in 2018 and 2020 on Soyuz ...

It was the latest of several postponements for the rocket as Europe seeks to secure independent access to space. Read more at straitstimes.com.

A successful mission would mean Europe can independently put large satellites into orbit for the first time since Russia pulled its rockets after invading Ukraine in 2022.

Ariane 5 was retired in 2023 and Europe has not been able to use Russia's Soyuz rocket for satellite launches since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Ariane 6 underwent a successful test in July ...

However, Europe might not be able to replace SpaceX altogether. Ariane 6, unlike SpaceX rockets, is not reusable. And while ...

Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket successfully placed a French military satellite into orbit Thursday, marking a milestone for the ...

The launch of the CSO-3 satellite into orbit will complete a network of three French military imaging satellites, with the first two carried into space on Russian Soyuz rockets in 2018 and 2020.

The CSO-3 satellite is expected to strengthen France's military autonomy and improve its army's intelligence capabilities. Europe has not been able to use Russia's Soyuz rocket for satellite ...