PARIS, Aug 8 The test launch of the new Ariane-6 launch vehicle will take place in 2024, European Space Agency (ESA) Director Josef Aschbacher has announced.
«The European Space Agency, ArianeGroup, Arianespace and the National Center for Space Research of France (CNES) confirm that the first launch of the Ariane 6 launch vehicle is scheduled for 2024,» Aschbacher tweeted.
He noted that on July 18, a successful stage of testing the rocket took place at the Kourou cosmodrome, the next tests are scheduled for August 29 and September 26. After them, the exact date of the first launch of the launch vehicle will become known.
On July 6, the last launch of the Ariane-5 rocket took place, during the final launch it launched two telecommunications satellites into orbit, the 117th launch marked the end of the 27-year service of the launch vehicle. Aschbacher said the launch of Ariane-5 came at a time when Europe was denied independent access to space following the closure of the Soyuz launch complex at Kourou.
At the same time, the commissioning of the new Ariane-6 launch vehicle has been repeatedly postponed.
After the launch of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the EU countries imposed sanctions on Russian enterprises in the space industry. In response, Roscosmos announced the termination of cooperation in organizing launches from the Kourou spaceport.