Ariane 6

The Exploration Company has signed a contract with Arianespace to launch an initial demonstration mission of its Nyx cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station aboard an Ariane 6 rocket. While neither company has publicly announced the contract, the French Presidency published an official list of agreements alongside the International Space Summit being held in […] The post The Exploration Company Books Ariane 6 Flight for Nyx Demo Mission appeared first on European Spaceflight.

The Meteosat Third Generation-Imager2 (MTG-I2) satellite, has been launched on board an Ariane 6 launcher from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Liftoff was on 27 August 2026 at 22:11 CEST (17:10 local time).

The Meteosat Third Generation Imager2 satellite (MTG-I2) has been encapsulated inside the Ariane 6 fairing and is in place on its launch pad. It is scheduled to lift off on Thursday evening, 27 August, from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

The European Space Agency expects to make specific safety adaptations to the Ariane 6 rocket for future launches of its Argonaut lunar landers that will carry a Radioisotope Power System. The modifications will not, however, be required for the spacecraft’s first mission. Argonaut is ESA’s planned heavy lunar lander that is designed to deliver up […] The post ESA to Adapt Ariane 6 for Nuclear-Powered Argonaut Missions appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Arianespace hasn’t publicly disclosed the cost for an Ariane 6 launch.

The European Space Agency has confirmed to European Spaceflight that it is no longer considering the Ariane 6 Block 3 evolution, saying there is “no programme need or justification” for the evolution at this time. Questions regarding the scrapping of the Block 3 upgrades arose earlier this month after SpaceScout reported that an ESA study […] The post ESA Confirms Ariane 6 Block 3 Upgrades Have Been Shelved appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Evidence indicates that Ariane 6 upgrades have been cancelled following the 2025 ESA Ministerial Council.

From the ESA Blogs.

Arianespace CEO David Cavaillolès has called on either the European Commission or the German government to place block orders for 10 to 20 Ariane 6 launches, arguing that such a commitment would transform how the company approaches its supply chain. Speaking to German defence publication Hartpunkt, Cavaillolès made the comments amid a broader discussion of […] The post Arianespace CEO Urges the EU to Procure Large Blocks of Ariane 6 Flights appeared first on European Spaceflight.

The European Space Agency has awarded a contract to launch its solar storm-monitoring CubeSat on an Ariane 6 rocket. Scheduled for launch in early 2027, the Henon CubeSat will be flown as a secondary passenger alongside ESA’s PLATO telescope, which will be tasked with finding Earth-like exoplanets. According to the agency’s 16 July press release, […] The post ESA Selects Ariane 6 to Launch Deep Space CubeSat appeared first on European Spaceflight.

A core stage, an upper stage and four of the most powerful boosters ever produced in Europe. This timelapse video shows how Ariane 6 is built up at the launch zone.

On 17 June at 09:21 local time (13:21 BST, 14:21 CEST), Ariane 6 flight VA269 soared to orbit from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. 36 satellites for Amazon’s Leo constellation left Earth powered by four P160C-based boosters, the first time these upgraded boosters were used – making this launch the most powerful so far for Europe’s heavy-lift rocket.