Launch of Europe’s new heavy rocket Ariane 6 cancelled 24 minutes before liftoff

On March 3, 2025, at 19:24 Moscow time, the second launch of the European heavy rocket Ariane 6 was planned from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana. However, 24 minutes before the launch, the launch was cancelled due to the unreadiness of the ground equipment associated with the rocket.

Image source: ESA/Manuel Pedoussaut

Ariane 6 is designed to ensure Europe’s independence from foreign launch vehicles. After lengthy delays, Ariane 6’s maiden flight took place on July 9, 2024. During this flight, the rocket’s upper stage failed to perform a deorbit maneuver due to a malfunction in the engine’s propulsion system.

The rocket’s operator, Arianespace, promised to fix the problem and launch again in late 2024. However, the launch was postponed first to February 2025 and then to March 3. The first attempt in March also failed due to “additional operations required for ground facilities interacting with the launch vehicle.” No date has yet been announced for the next launch attempt.

Arianespace plans five launches of the Ariane 6 rocket in 2025. The fifth flight will feature four side boosters, marking the first time the rocket has been launched in its maximum configuration. Previously, the rocket only flew with two side boosters. The second flight of Ariane 6 will launch the French spy satellite CSO-3 into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 800 km. The first two satellites, CSO-1 and CSO-2, were launched in 2018 and 2020, respectively.