Kourou, Europe’s new heavy-lift rocket, Ariane 6, is to carry out Monday its first commercial mission as European nations seek to secure independent access to space amid a shock rapprochement between Moscow and Washington.
The high-profile mission comes as French President Emmanuel Macron calls for Europe to reduce its security reliance on the United States and the European space industry struggles to remain competitive in the face of Elon Musk’s Space X.
Following several postponements, the Ariane 6 rocket is scheduled to blast off from a spaceport in Kourou in French Guiana at 13:24 (16:24 GMT) Monday.
The launcher will carry a French military satellite, which will be placed in orbit at an altitude of around 800 kilometres (500 miles).
The CSO-3 satellite is expected to strengthen France’s military autonomy and improve its army’s intelligence capabilities.
Europe has not been able to use Russia’s Soyuz rocket for satellite launches after Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022, while Ariane 5 was retired in 2023.
“The whole world is watching us,” David Cavailloles, chief executive of French aerospace company Arianespace, told AFP in February.
