Tag: Ariane 6
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Amazon reserves up to 83 rocket launches for Project Kuiper broadband satellite constellation
Amazon plans to have satellites sent into orbit by (from left) United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rockets, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rockets and Arianespace’s Ariane 6 rockets. (Amazon Illustration) Amazon has secured as many as 83 launches on three types of heavy-lift rockets to put more than 1,500 satellites into low Earth orbit for its…
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Arianespace discusses Ariane 5 fly-out requirements, launcher’s legacy to Ariane 6 and beyond
Arianespace and their European partners are looking toward the final five flights of the veteran Ariane 5 rocket that has been a staple of the European launch community since the end-1990s. At present, the rocket has four dual-passenger flights to geostationary transfer orbit on the manifest in 2022 before its grand finale in 2023: the…
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Ariane 6 undergoing preparations for its 2022 debut
ArianeGroup and the European Space Agency are carrying out preparations for the maiden launch of the Ariane 6 rocket next year. Ariane 6 represents the next generation of the Ariane family of rockets, intended to allow its customers lower-cost access to space. The rocket and launch pad still have an extensive test program ahead of…
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Arianespace announces competition for free nanosatellite launch
Spectators in Kourou, French Guiana, watch as an Ariane 5 rocket launches three commercial satellites from the Guiana Space Center in August 2020. Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace – Photo Optique Video du CSG – S. Martin Arianespace announced this week it is organizing a contest open to startups, labs, and universities for a free launch of a…
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ESA roundup: Ariane 6, James Webb, & BepiColombo
Three flagship European Space Agency (ESA) projects have or will reach critical milestones this month, both on Earth and in space. On the ground, the Agency’s upcoming Ariane 6 launcher’s solid rocket boosters passed their final test firing while the James Webb Space Telescope — a partnership with NASA and the Canadian Space Agency —…
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ESA roundup: Ariane 6, James Webb, & BepiColombo
Three flagship European Space Agency (ESA) projects have or will reach critical milestones this month, both on Earth and in space. On the ground, the Agency’s upcoming Ariane 6 launcher’s solid rocket boosters passed their final test firing while the James Webb Space Telescope — a partnership with NASA and the Canadian Space Agency —…
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ESA delays Ariane 6 launch to the second half of 2021
The European Space Agency (ESA) has delayed the first launch of their upcoming heavy-medium rocket: the Ariane 6. Arianespace – the prime contractor for Ariane 6 – and ESA now expect it to launch NET (no earlier than) the second half of 2021, with at least six months of delay. Ariane 6 is a medium-heavy…
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Arianespace gears up for busy 2020 with dual-passenger Ariane 5 mission
Arianespace opened its 2020 launch campaign on Thursday with the launch of two telecommunications satellites – Eutelsat KONNECT and GSAT-30 – on an Ariane 5 launch vehicle. Liftoff from Ariane Launch Complex No. 3 (ELA-3) at the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana occurred at the beginning of a 115-minute launch window that opened at…
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Earth observation, deep space exploration big winners in new ESA budget
Frédérique Vidal, the French government’s representative and co-chair on the ESA Ministerial Council, ESA director general Jan Wörner, and Manuel Heitor, the Portuguese government’s representative and co-chair on the ESA Ministerial Council. Credit: ESA – S. Corvaja European Space Agency member states on Thursday committed nearly 12.5 billion euros ($13.7 billion) to fund ESA programs…
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One on one ESA Director General Johann-Dietrich Wörner
Last Sunday (October 6th) the annual ESA-ESTEC open house day was held on the grounds of Europe’s largest Space facility, ESTEC in the Netherlands. This open day is part of world space week – and the week of science. This year’s theme of the open day was “Europe to the Moon”. Among the special guests…