After several postponements, Europe’s Ariane 6 launcher will carry out its first commercial mission on Monday when it puts a French military intelligence satellite into space.
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The launch from the Kourou base in French Guiana is key to Europe’s efforts to build up its security autonomy amid the shocks caused by the US-Russia diplomatic rapprochement.
“The whole world is watching us,” Arianespace chief executive David Cavailloles told Agence France-Presse this month.
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 last year and is scheduled to carry out five launches this year.
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First scheduled in December, the launch was put back until February 26 and then March 3 – at 16:24GMT – because of problems getting the satellite to the Kourou base, according to Arianespace.