Wednesday, July 10, 2024

Every Bit Of The ESA Ariane 6 Test Mission Was A Rousing Success, Tuesday Evening...


We were off grid when it happened, but it went. . . flawlessly.

We trust you've all seen the CNN newsfeeds, since then -- but if not, here's a launch video highlights/replay via YouTube. And here's ESA itself on the mission's success:

. . ."An inaugural launch is a huge undertaking from thousands of people who have worked relentlessly for years. To see it perform wonderfully at the first attempt is testament to their dedication and a demonstration of European excellence in engineering and technology. Heartfelt thanks go to the teams at ESA, CNES, ArianeGroup and Arianespace for their hard work to get to this point. I also want to sincerely thank our Member States for having enabled and supported the Ariane 6 programme along the way. Not always easy, but the endurance shown has paid off handsomely today. . . ."

At 21:06 BST, 22:06 CEST, one hour after liftoff, the first set of satellites on board Ariane 6 were released from the upper stage and placed into an orbit 600 km above Earth. Satellites and experiments from various space agencies, companies, research institutes, universities and young professionals were included on this inaugural flight.

In addition to the rocket, the liftoff demonstrated the functioning of the launch pad and operations on the ground at Europe's Spaceport. The new custom-built dedicated launch zone was built by France's space agency CNES and allows for a faster turnover of Ariane launches. . . .


Now you know. Onward, smiling widely. Well done.

नमस्ते

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