N° 11–2025: Ariane 6 takes flight for the second time

6 March 2025

Europe’s newest rocket, Ariane 6, took flight for the second time from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana at 13:24 local time on 6 March (16:24 GMT/17:24 CET). This was the first commercial flight for Ariane 6, flight VA263, delivering the CSO-3 satellite to orbit. Arianespace was the operator and launch service provider for the French Procurement Agency and France’s space agency CNES on behalf of the French Air and Space Force’s Space Command.

During this second launch, all phases were successfully executed, including the Auxiliary Propulsion Unit (APU) reignition, the Vinci engine’s third boost and deorbiting of the upper stage.

ESA’s Director General Josef Aschbacher said, "The second successful flight of Ariane 6 marks a significant milestone in Europe's journey towards enhanced autonomous access to space. Ariane 6 is a bedrock of this endeavour, paving the way for a promising future for European space activities, alongside Vega-C and new European launchers on the horizon. This achievement would not have been possible without the dedication, collaboration, and hard work of our incredible teams. My heartfelt thanks go out to all colleagues who have made this monumental accomplishment possible. Together, we are elevating the future of Europe - and remember, it all starts with a launch.”

“The first commercial launch of Ariane 6 demonstrates what will become regular with several Ariane 6 launches planned for 2025. The upper stage also showed its full potential, a unique piece of hardware that can ensure all types of missions to orbit while also actively avoid becoming space debris itself, reaffirming Europe’s commitment to minimise in-orbit space debris,” said Toni Tolker-Nielsen, ESA Director of Space Transportation.

Ariane 6 is Europe’s heavy launcher and a key element of ESA’s efforts to ensure autonomous access to space for Europe’s citizens. Its modular and versatile design allows it to launch all missions from low-Earth orbit into deep space. For this launch, the rocket was used in its two-booster configuration.

Shortly after liftoff and booster separation, the upper stage separated from the core stage. The upper stage engine then fired for the first time, taking Ariane 6 into an elliptical orbit travelling 300 km at its closest to Earth, and 600 km at its farthest from Earth, achieving the ‘chill-down’ and first ignition of the Vinci engine and of the Auxiliary Propulsion Unit. After a ‘coasting’ phase lasting 37 minutes, the engine fired up for a second time.

After Vinci’s second boost, the rocket’s passenger, a French satellite called CSO-3, was injected into a Sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of around 800 km. Spacecraft separation occurred one hour and six minutes after liftoff.

After the successful delivery of CSO-3, Ariane 6 demonstrated the full potential of its upper stage. The Auxiliary Propulsion Unit ignited as expected, and the Vinci engine’s third boost put the upper stage into a reentry orbit to safely burn up through Earth’s atmosphere, preventing accumulation of space debris. This confirms the full capability of Ariane 6.

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Footage of Ariane 6 launch (Copyright: ESA – S. Corvaja):

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Footage shot before the launch (Copyright: ESA – S. Corvaja):

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About the European Space Agency

The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space.

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