Countdown to first launch of Europe's Ariane 6 rocket
The Peninsula
Kourou: After four years of delays, Europe s new Ariane 6 rocket is set to blast off for the first time on Tuesday, carrying with it the continent s h...
Kourou: After four years of delays, Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket is set to blast off for the first time on Tuesday, carrying with it the continent's hopes of regaining independent access to space.
The inaugural flight of the European Space Agency's (ESA) most powerful rocket yet is scheduled to launch from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at 3pm local time (1800 GMT).
Since the last flight of the rocket's workhorse predecessor, Ariane 5, a year ago, Europe has been unable to launch satellites or other missions into space without relying on rivals such as Elon Musk's US firm SpaceX.
So many will be nervously watching the launch, hoping it can bring an end to a difficult era for European space efforts.
Historically, nearly half of the first launches of new rockets have ended in failure.
