Still a little patience.
The maiden flight of the Ariane 6 rocket, which was to take place at the end of 2022, has been postponed to 2023 due to delayed tests, announced the European Space Agency (ESA).
“Ariane 6 will fly in 2023, not in 2022,” a manager explained Thursday during a press briefing, without further details.
A new schedule will be communicated on July 13.
Initially scheduled for 2020, the first Ariane 6 flight had already had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The tests of the upper stage of the launcher experienced "difficulties"
This new postponement is linked to delays in the test program.
"We are progressing well but there are still steps to take," admitted the European Space Agency.
The fire tests of the upper stage of the launcher – the engine can be reignited – planned at Lampoldshausen in Germany notably experienced “difficulties”.
The ESA nevertheless assured that it was "on the home stretch before these tests".
The two stages of the launcher, having arrived in Kourou in French Guiana, are preparing to begin the combined tests with the launch pad, another key stage in the system qualification process.
Ariane 6 should make it possible to boost the competitiveness of the European launcher which is facing increasingly fierce competition, mainly that of the American SpaceX.
