(Reuters) – Arianespace, the operator of Europe’s Ariane 6 heavy rocket, announced on Monday that the first commercially operational launch had been postponed for a second time. The launch was intended to carry a French military observation satellite into orbit and was scheduled to take place at lunchtime at Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. This delay comes after a previous attempt, originally planned for February 26, had also been canceled. Arianespace cited the need for additional work on ground equipment related to the rocket as the reason for the postponement. No new launch date has been set at this time.
Europe’s newest uncrewed rocket had a partially successful inaugural flight on July 9 last year, during which it conducted a series of trials. However, a software glitch left its upper stage in orbit. Officials later confirmed that the issue was fixable. In its upcoming operational mission, the Ariane 62 variant of the launcher is set to transport the CSO-3 optical and infrared satellite for the French Air Force’s Space Command.
Despite carrying a military payload, European authorities categorize this mission as commercial, as it marks the first operation conducted for Ariane 6 by Arianespace rather than the European Space Agency, which oversaw its development. The Ariane 6 rocket is manufactured by ArianeGroup, a joint venture between Airbus and Safran.
(Reporting by Tim Hepher; editing by Mark Heinrich and Nia Williams)
