The highly anticipated first flight of Ariane 6 may finally take place this summer after years of delays. But before we can get too excited, European Space Agency Director General Josef Aschbacher is already setting the rocket up for failure without it even reaching the launchpad yet.
The final mission of the European Space Agency’s Vega rocket has encountered a bizarre setback. Key propellant tanks required for its last flight were found damaged in a landfill, jeopardizing the scheduled 2024 launch.
The European Space Agency (ESA) has successfully conducted a full-scale rehearsal of its new Ariane 6 rocket at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, marking a significant step towards the launch vehicle’s first flight.
From capturing precious asteroid samples and exploring volcanic moons to navigating mysterious toxic blobs and portraying fictional Space Force battles, October was a captivating month in spaceflight and space exploration, as these images attest.
It’s been an unusually busy week in spaceflight, with the chatter restricted to rockets still on the ground. In a particularly festive update, United Launch Alliance (ULA) is gearing up for the launch of its Vulcan Centaur rocket on Christmas Eve.
Arianespace’s latest Vega mission failed to deploy two of its payloads to orbit, likely due to a failure with the release mechanism with the rocket’s upper stage.
Private Spanish firm PLD Space launched its Miura 1 rocket this past Friday on a suborbital flight that lasted for five minutes, marking a significant milestone for Europe’s nascent spaceflight industry.
After a disheartening failure in December 2022, the return flight of Europe’s Vega-C rocket has been pushed to late 2024. The delay, just revealed by the European Space Agency, stems from a required redesign of the rocket’s motor nozzle.
It was an unfortunate week for the rocket industry, with three distinct setbacks occurring and challenging the plans of three different aerospace companies across the globe.
Following numerous delays and technical hiccups, the Ariane 6 rocket is undergoing a series of tests that could finally determine a launch period for the heavy-lift launch vehicle at some point next year.
