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STORY: :: Europe's Ariane 6 rocket blasts off on its maiden flight

:: marking the continent's return to space after delays, political setbacks and debates over funding

:: July 9, 2024

:: Kourou, French Guiana

Weighing 595 tons (540 tonnes) and standing almost 184 feet (56 meters) tall, Europe's newest rocket left the launchpad in Kourou, French Guiana around 4 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) at the start of a nearly three-hour flight designed to end a year-long hiatus in European access to space.

The delayed debut comes a year after its predecessor, Ariane 5, was retired, leaving Europe with no independent path to orbit for its satellites after setbacks involving a smaller Italian alternative and the severing of ties with Russia over Ukraine.

ESA (European Space Agency) nations agreed in 2014 to develop Ariane 6 in response to growing competition in the commercial launch market but its arrival, originally due in 2020, has been repeatedly delayed.

The launcher has been developed by ArianeGroup, a joint venture between Airbus AIR.PA and Safran SAF.PA, in order to better compete with rivals like Elon Musk's SpaceX.