Final launch of Europe’s Ariane 5 rocket postponed

The ultimate launch of Europe’s Ariane 5 rocket has been postponed as a consequence of a technical downside, French agency Arianespace mentioned on Thursday, within the newest blow to European space efforts.

After 27 years of launches, the Ariane 5’s 117th and final mission had been scheduled to blast off between 2126-1001 GMT on Friday from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

However “it has come to light that there’s a threat to the redundancy of a vital perform on the Ariane 5,” tweeted Arianespace, which operates the rocket.

“Per security necessities, Arianespace has determined to postpone the roll-out of the #VA261 launch automobile,” it added.

“Analyses are underway to find out a brand new launch date.”

The rocket and its payload of 1 French and one German communication satellite “are within the last meeting constructing in steady and secure circumstances,” Arianespace added.

The postponement comes as Europe struggles to discover a method to independently blast heavy-load missions into space as a consequence of repeated delays for the next-generation Ariane 6—and Russia withdrawing its Soyuz rockets due to sanctions over its battle in Ukraine.

European space efforts have been dealt one other blow in December final yr, when the primary industrial flight of the next-generation Vega C gentle launcher failed.

Missing different choices, the European House Company was pressured to show to rival SpaceX to launch its Euclid space telescope mission the next month.

It stays unclear if the Ariane 6—which was first scheduled to launch in 2020—will meet its deadline of getting a primary launch off the bottom by the tip of this yr.

© 2023 AFP