The successful launch of Ariane 6 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on 9 July 2024 is the culmination of years of cutting-edge research, development and innovation, backed by the European Investment Bank.
Rockets play an important role in everything from space exploration and climate monitoring, to communications and navigation systems. They have revolutionised our understanding of the universe and how we can use space to improve lives on our own planet.
Ariane 6, built by French aerospace company ArianeGroup, is the latest in a series of rockets in operation for the last 40 years. It guarantees that Europe will no longer depend on international companies or partners – like Elon Musk’s SpaceX or Russia’s Soyuz rockets – to access space. It will also be used to support European security and defence, research and development, and commercial missions.
Innovative design
Ariane 6 features a number of improvements. It is larger than its predecessors and can use two or four boosters during liftoff, allowing it to carry a larger payload into orbit. It also features a modular and versatile design that allows for both single and dual launches.
Meanwhile, its engine is built to ignite and re-ignite four times, enabling it to drop multiple payloads at different orbits. The Ariane 5 rocket, by contrast, could only deliver up to two large satellites on a single launch.
The newer rocket was designed using state-of-the-art technology, such as 3D printing, making it faster and less expensive to manufacture custom parts capable of replacing several produced using older methods. It is also made to minimise space debris, ensuring that components either burn up in the upper atmosphere or return safely to Earth.
European space autonomy
The Ariane 6 arrives at a crucial time. Initially scheduled for launch in 2020, the project was delayed by supply chain shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The two crises highlighted the importance of European space autonomy.
“Events in the past few years have demonstrated the importance of sovereignty in a number of sectors. This is one of them,” said Yu Zhang, head of the European Investment Bank’s Deep Tech, Digital and Life Sciences division.
In addition to ensuring independent access to space, the Ariane 6 rocket will also bolster European competitiveness.
“It is crucial for Europe to have strategic autonomy in space, and Ariane 6 will help ensure that. By financing Ariane, the Bank is demonstrating its belief in a pan-European project and our confidence in Europe’s innovators,” said Ambroise Fayolle, vice-president of the European Investment Bank (EIB), who signed the original loan. “It has taken several years and a lot of hard work to get to where we are. I want to thank all the EIB colleagues who got us to this place. They, and we, should be extremely proud.”