The first launch of the European Ariane 6 rocket was to take place from June 15 to July 31, 2024, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced on Thursday, AFP and Agerpres inform.

ESA’s Ariane 6 rocketPhoto: P. Piron / AFP / Profimedia Images

“This is a good day for space-faring Europe,” ESA director Josef Aschbacher said at a press conference announcing the launch date for the first flight of Europe’s future heavy-lift launch vehicle, originally scheduled for 2020.

Aschbacher said the decision was made after the “complete success” of the decisive test held on November 23 in Kourou. The test consisted of firing — and keeping it running for the duration of the mission — the Vulcain 2.1 engine that powers the main stage of the Ariane 6 space launch vehicle.

The final launch date is likely to be announced in March or April 2024, the ESA official added.

Philippe Baptiste, president of France’s National Center for Space Research (CNES), said a “general review of the qualifications” of the launcher would allow an exact launch date to be set. This review is already underway and should be completed in April.

The permission for the first launch is the result of a joint decision made by ESA, ArianeGroup – the manufacturer of the launch vehicle – and the French Space Agency (CNES), which provides the infrastructure of the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.

Four years of Ariane 6 launch delay

Originally scheduled for 2020, the first space flight of the Ariane 6 rocket, designed to compete with the US launch vehicle developed by SpaceX, has been delayed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic and production problems.

The European launcher is scheduled to undergo two more tests aimed at verifying its operation in so-called “deteriorated” conditions: on December 7, a test of the Vinci engine restart, which is equipped with the booster part of the rocket, and on December 15, a test of filling all the steps in Kuru.

The tests aim to “verify that the reliability and robustness of the (launcher) design meets expectations,” said Martin Sion, CEO of ArianeGroup. Josef Aschbacher welcomed the fact that “the technical issues have been ‘stabilised’, as has the release schedule”.

Ariane 5, currently Europe’s flagship rocket, made its final flight in July this year.