Ariane 6 is a European expendable launch system developed for the European Space Agency and the French space agency CNES, with ArianeGroup as prime contractor and Arianespace as operator. It replaces the Ariane 5 and is a two-stage rocket burning liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, with an upgraded Vulcain engine in the first stage and the new Vinci engine in the second. It flies in two variants, the Ariane 62 with two P120C solid boosters and the Ariane 64 with four, a booster it shares with the Vega C launcher. The design was chosen in December 2014 over an all-solid alternative and was first planned to debut in 2020. The first launch took place on 9 July 2024 and ended in a partial failure when the upper stage could not complete its deorbit burn, and the second launch on 6 March 2025 delivered the CSO-3 reconnaissance satellite to orbit. France carried the largest share of the work, followed by Germany and Italy, with ten other countries taking part.
Facts
Engine Class Maximum Mass (kg) Connections
Exemplifies
Source Ariane 6 (Wikipedia)
Of Make
Source Ariane 6 (Wikipedia)
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Same As
Also in Space and Astronomy Atlas: the same subject.
Manufactured By
Also in Business Atlas: the manufacturer of this subject.
Source Ariane 6 (Wikipedia)Lead, makerQuote, Lead, maker
manufactured by a consortium of European companies, led by the prime contractor ArianeGroup
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Source Ariane 6 (Wikipedia)Lead, contributorsQuote, Lead, contributors
The project's primary contributors were France (55.3%), Germany (21%) and Italy (7.6%)
Sources
1. ArianeGroup: Ariane 6
ArianeGroupIntroductionQuote, Introduction
Ariane 6 is a high-capability launcher designed to ensure Europe
2. Ariane 6 (Wikipedia)
Lead, first launch
with the first launch eventually taking place on 9 July 2024.
Lead
a European expendable launch system developed for the European Space Agency (ESA) and French Space Agency (CNES)
Lead, upper stages
This two-stage rocket utilizes liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen (hydrolox) engines.
Lead, boosters
The Ariane 62 variant uses two P120C solid rocket boosters, while Ariane 64 uses four.
Lead, engines
This two-stage rocket utilizes liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen (hydrolox) engines.
Lead, operation
As part of the Ariane rocket family, it is operated by Arianespace, replacing the Ariane 5.
Description, Ariane 64
Ariane 64 (A64), with four P120C boosters, has a liftoff weight of around 860,000 kg (1,900,000 lb)
Lead, maker
manufactured by a consortium of European companies, led by the prime contractor ArianeGroup
Lead, contributors
The project's primary contributors were France (55.3%), Germany (21%) and Italy (7.6%)
Exemplifies: Orbital Spaceflight, Description, variants
It can launch up to 4,500 kg (9,900 lb) into geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) and 10,350 kg (22,820 lb) into low Earth orbit (LEO).
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