- Start
- Jul 9, 202490% CONFIDENCEfrom the source
- End
- Jul 9, 202490% CONFIDENCEfrom en.wikipedia.org
Arianespace Launches Ariane 6 on Its Maiden Flight, VA262
- Ariane 6 flew for the first time on 9 July 2024 at 19:00 UTC, an Ariane 62 from ELA-4 at the Guiana Space Centre, after a one-hour delay for a data acquisition issue[3]
- Boosters and core stage performed as expected; the upper stage ignited at T+8 minutes and reignited at T+56 minutes to reach a circular orbit at 580 km[3]
- Eight CubeSats and five experiments were deployed correctly, but two reentry capsules (SpaceCase SC-X01 and Nyx Bikini) were not deployed as planned[3]
- At T+1 h 14 min the auxiliary propulsion system malfunctioned, preventing the third burn meant to deorbit the stage; the outcome is listed as a partial failure[3]
Notable features
- Ariane 6 is a two-stage expendable launcher developed for ESA and CNES by a consortium led by ArianeGroup to replace Ariane 5, designed to cut launch costs and raise the launch rate from seven to eleven missions a year[2]
- Both stages burn liquid hydrogen and oxygen: the lower stage carries about 140 t of propellant for a Vulcain 2.1, an upgraded Ariane 5 engine, and the upper stage uses the new Vinci engine, giving 180 kN for up to 900 seconds with up to five restarts[2]
- The Ariane 62 flown on VA262 has two P120C solid boosters, shared with Vega C, weighs about 530 t at liftoff and can place 4,500 kg in geostationary transfer orbit or 10,350 kg in low Earth orbit; the four-booster Ariane 64 lifts up to 11,500 kg to GTO[2]
- The rocket is 63 m tall and 5.4 m in diameter, with a carbon-fibre composite fairing from Beyond Gravity in 14 m and 20 m lengths[2]
References 387% CONFIDENCE
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- [1]90%youtube.com/watch?v=V7Kvnsqt-kQyoutube.com· Posted Sep 15, 2026· Starts Jul 9, 2024 ✓· 33% of score
Arianespace's newsroom and Wikipedia's[2][3] Ariane flight VA262 article confirm Ariane 6's maiden flight lifted off from Kourou on 9 July 2024.
- [2]80%Ariane 6 - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org· Added Sep 22, 2026· 34% of score
Wikipedia's[3] Ariane 6 article describes the two-stage hydrolox design with a Vulcain 2.1 lower stage and Vinci upper stage (180 kN, up to 900 s, up to five restarts), Ariane 62's two P120C boosters and 4,500 kg GTO / 10,350 kg LEO capacity, 63 m height and the Beyond Gravity fairing.
- [3]90%Ariane flight VA262 - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org· Added Sep 15, 2026· Starts Jul 9, 2024· Ends Jul 9, 2024 ✓· 33% of score
Wikipedia's[2] Ariane flight VA262 article and Arianespace's own newsroom photo release confirm Ariane 6's inaugural launch (VA262) took place on 9 July 2024 from the Guiana Space Centre, the same catch-up-with-the-space-race Ariane 6 program covered by the FD Engineering documentary.
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