The long-awaited maiden flight of Ariane 6 is scheduled to take place between June 15 and July 31, 2024, European Space Agency (ESA) Director General Josef Aschbacher announced at a press conference on Thursday.
This followed a successful hot-fire test of the Vulcain 2.1 core stage engine of the new European launcher on its launch pad in Kourou, French Guiana, on Nov. 23. It consisted of a major full-scale rehearsal of a complete launch timeline, followed by more than seven minutes of stabilized operation covering the entire core stage flight phase.