PARIS (AFP) – The first commercial mission of Europe’s new heavy-lift rocket Ariane 6 has been rescheduled for today, French company Arianespace announced, after an “anomaly” forced a last-minute postponement.
The already twice-delayed rocket was slated to lift off Monday, but had to be delayed after the discovery of a dysfunctional valve.
The high-profile mission aims to carry a French military satellite into orbit, as well as more broadly to establish independent European access to space, without reliance on the United States. It comes as Europe’s commercial space industry struggles to remain competitive in the face of Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Initially planned for December, the Ariane 6 mission was pushed back until February 26 and then again to March 3 because of problems getting the satellite to the launchpad.
But minutes before Monday’s blast off from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, the company found an “anomaly” in one of the refuelling pipes.
After further evaluating the ground equipment, Arianespace said it is now targeting a launch on “March 6 at 1:24 pm local time in Kourou”. “Ariane 6 and its passenger, the CSO-3 satellite, are in stable and safe conditions,” the company said in a statement.
