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☆ Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket to launch June 15-July 31, 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Christophe Ena/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket will stage an inaugural flight between June 15 and July 31 in 2024, the European Space Agency said on Thursday. The keenly awaited window for the first test flight came after a test model of the new rocket passed a key long-firing engine test in French Guiana last week. The maiden flight will carry some smaller satellites, including two from NASA, but since it is still considered a test flight, it will not carry "a major payload", ESA added. The ESA will carry out a few additional tests before the launch to make sure the design is "fault tolerant". Aschbacher said last month he hoped to be able to announce a launch window for an inaugural flight to be held in 2024, depending on the results of the engine test.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Christophe Ena, Josef Aschbacher, Safran, Vega, Aschbacher, Tim Hepher, Piotr Lipinski, Alex Richardson, Bernadette Baum, Christina Fincher Organizations: Ariane, Rights, European Space Agency, ESA, NASA, ArianeGroup, Airbus, U.S, SpaceX, Soyuz, Thomson Locations: Vernon, France, Guiana, Europe, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket passes launch rehearsal -ESA
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Europe's Ariane 6 launcher has passed a key rehearsal in preparation for its first flight, the European Space Agency (ESA) said on Thursday - part of efforts to bring the delayed rocket to the launchpad in 2024. Ariane 6 is being developed by ArianeGroup, a joint venture between Airbus (AIR.PA) and Safran (SAF.PA), in order to better compete with U.S. private launch provider SpaceX. Russia blocked European use of its Soyuz rockets last year in response to Western sanctions over Ukraine. "We are back on track towards re-securing Europe's autonomous access to space," ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said in a statement late on Thursday. Reporting By Tim Hepher in Paris; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Safran, Vega, Josef Aschbacher, Aschbacher, Tim Hepher, Jonathan Oatis, Sonali Paul Organizations: European Space Agency, ESA, ArianeGroup, Airbus, U.S, SpaceX, Soyuz, Thomson Locations: Guiana, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Paris

☆ Europe urged not to repeat tech underdog role ahead of space talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A model of Europe's next-generation space rocket Ariane 6 is pictured at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Lampoldshausen near Heilbronn, Germany, February 26, 2019. France, where manufacturer ArianeGroup is based, wants extra funding to help absorb cost overruns, industry sources said. Sources said last week there had been some progress in unblocking a three-way standoff between Europe's leading launch nations but that ministers still faced sensitive budget talks. Speaking ahead of the Seville meeting, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher declined to comment on the talks but urged Europe not to repeat past mistakes in the technology sector. Europe has carved out a leading role in climate observation, navigation and space science but has not targeted a prime role in human exploration, opting instead for a junior role in projects led by U.S. space agency NASA or until recently Russia.

Persons: Ralph Orlowski, Josef Aschbacher, Aschbacher, we're, Tim Hepher, Robert Birsel Organizations: German Aerospace Center, REUTERS, European Space Agency, ESA, European Union, SpaceX, Ministers, Ariane, Tribune, NASA, U.S . Space Shuttle, Thomson Locations: Lampoldshausen, Heilbronn, Germany, Europe, Spain, Seville, Elon Musk's U.S, Ukraine, France, Italy, United States, Japan, China, U.S, Russia

☆ Italy, France and Germany agree on launches of Ariane 6 and Vega-C
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Giuseppe Fonte | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A worker of Ariane Group stands in front of a Ariane 6 rocket's Vulcain 2.1 engine, prior to the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, in Vernon, France January 12, 2021. Christophe Ena/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Italy, France and Germany on Monday have reached a deal underpinning future launches of the delayed Ariane 6 and Avio's (AVI.MI) smaller Vega-C rockets, Italy's industry minister said. The smaller Vega-C has been grounded since Dec. 22 after a failed launch. Italy has been campaigning for the rocket to be marketed separately from ArianeGroup subsidiary Arianespace, which currently sells and operates all major European launches. The three-way agreement was signed during a European Space Agency (ESA) ministerial meeting in Seville, Spain.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Christophe Ena, Safran, Urso, Arianespace, Josef Aschbacher, Giuseppe Fonte, Cristina Carlevaro, Federico Maccioni, Tim Hepher Organizations: Ariane, Rights, Airbus, Space Agency, ESA, Soyuz, Thomson Locations: Vernon, France, Italy, Germany, Europe, Vega, Milan, Avio, Seville, Spain, Ukraine

☆ Europe's space agency boss sees progress on Ariane 6 launcher
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Director-General of the European Space Agency (ESA) Josef Aschbacher smiles as he attends an interview with Reuters during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 18, 2023. Josef Aschbacher, director general of the European Space Agency (ESA), said a more precise 2024 launch period would be defined following a delayed long-duration firing test due on Nov. 23. Aschbacher declined to comment on the state of negotiations ahead of the Seville "Space Summit", which is also due to address climate change and Europe's ambitions in space exploration. This is something that is highly critical for Europe," Aschbacher said. But in Europe's system of horse-trading for space funding, any agreement on exploration is likely to depend on progress on the critical issue of Ariane 6 funding, the people said.

Persons: Josef Aschbacher, Arnd, Aschbacher, Safran, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Tim Hepher, Mark Potter Organizations: European Space Agency, ESA, Reuters, Economic, REUTERS, Rights, Elon, SpaceX, Russian Soyuz, Airbus, NATO, Thomson Locations: Davos, Switzerland, Seville, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Russian, East, Ukraine, Europe, India, China, United States, Russia

☆ Europe's space agency welcomes UK deal with EU on satellites
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The logo of the European Space Agency (ESA) is seen during the ESA Council at Ministerial level (CM22) at the Grand Palais Ephemere in Paris, France, November 23, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Sept 8 (Reuters) - The European Space Agency on Friday welcomed a deal for Britain to resume full membership of Europe's Copernicus programme, easing doubts over the next batch of climate-tracking satellites and the completion of development work by European space firms. Copernicus is a set of six families of Sentinel satellites designed to read the planet's "vital signs" including carbon dioxide. But following Thursday's agreement, Director General Josef Aschbacher said the deal would allow UK scientists and industry to benefit fully from one of Europe's leading space programmes. The agreement is a boost for satellite manufacturers including Europe's Airbus (AIR.PA), France' Thales (TCFP.PA) and Germany's OHB (OHBG.DE) that had been awarded contracts to build the new set of satellites subject in part to an EU funding deal.

Persons: Benoit Tessier, Europe's Copernicus, Copernicus, Josef Aschbacher, Aschbacher, Germany's, Safran, Tim Hepher, David Evans Organizations: European Space Agency, ESA, Palais Ephemere, REUTERS, Rights, Sentinel, Reuters, Airbus, Thales, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Britain

☆ Europe to decide within weeks on when to restart space launches
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

European Space Agency (ESA) General Director Josef Aschbacher speaks during the ESA Council at Ministerial level (CM22) at the Grand Palais Ephemere in Paris, France, November 23, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Sept 4 (Reuters) - European space officials said on Monday they face crucial timing decisions in the coming weeks on the return to flight of Europe's flagship space launchers following a series of delays. Europe's third traditional path to space, the Russian Soyuz programme, was interrupted last year amid the breakdown in East-West relations following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Investigators blamed the launch failure on a faulty engine part and a fresh probe was launched in June after the failure of a ground test. Aschbacher said the timing of Vega C's return to operation would be set after the commission reports later this month.

Persons: Josef Aschbacher, Benoit Tessier, Vega, Elon Musk's, Italy's Vega, Aschbacher, Vega C's, Tim Hepher, Jason Neely, Alison Williams Organizations: European Space Agency, ESA, Palais Ephemere, REUTERS, Rights, Russian Soyuz, Elon, Elon Musk's SpaceX, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Russian, East, Ukraine, Europe, Guiana, Germany

☆ Reactions as India's Chandrayaan-3 makes historic moon landing
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Arun Haryani, an enthusiast with his body painted in tri-colours, holds up a model of LVM3 M4, which was used in launching the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, in Ahmedabad on the eve of the moon landing, August 22. Following are some reactions:S. SOMANATH, INDIAN SPACE RESEARCH ORGANISATION (ISRO)CHAIRMAN"India is on the moon." NARENDRA MODI, PRIME MINISTER, INDIA"This moment is unforgettable. BILL NELSON, ADMINISTRATOR, NASA"Congratulations ISRO on your successful Chandrayaan-3 lunar South Pole landing! Congratulations to ISRO, Chandrayaan-3, and to all the people of India!!

Persons: Arun Haryani, Amit Dave, NARENDRA MODI, RAHUL GANDHI, SHAH RUKH KHAN, CHANDRACHUD, KHARGE, BILL NELSON, JOSEF ASCHBACHER, CYRIL RAMAPHOSA, PUSHPA KAMAL DAHAL, Narendra Modi, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Andrew Heavens, Toby Chopra Organizations: REUTERS, DELHI, Wednesday, Indian Space Research, SPACE, ISRO, OF, NASA, GENERAL, EUROPEAN SPACE, Chandrayaan, SOUTH, MINISTER, Thomson Locations: Ahmedabad, India, EUROPEAN, SOUTH AFRICA, NEPAL

☆ Europe space chief warns over political wavering on climate
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"It just confirms that climate change is the biggest threat to our planet, to humankind, and will remain so for the next decades and we do need to do everything we can to mitigate the effects." Scientists say climate change is making heatwaves more frequent, intense and likely to happen across seasons, not just in what were regarded as the summer months. "Acting now is much cheaper than waiting for years and then patching up the damage that has been caused," he said when asked if he saw any signs of drift in Europe's climate agenda. FUNDING GAP AND 'GLOBAL BOILING'Aschbacher is among the most senior climate-monitoring officials to voice concerns over wavering support for measures to combat climate change - a creeping negative reaction that some climate activists have labelled "greenlash". This would significantly impact Europe’s commitment to combating climate change."

Persons: Josef Aschbacher, Aschbacher, Copernicus, Rishi Sunak, Ashbacher, Antonio Guterres, ESA's Copernicus, Tim Hepher, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Copernicus Sentinel, European Space Agency, Handout, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Meterological Organization, ESA, GAP, Sentinel, European Union, Negotiations, European Commission, EU, Britain's Department for Science, Innovation, Technology, Thomson Locations: Odemira, Alentejo, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Spain, Paris, Europe, Britain

☆ ESA chief sees Ariane 6 debut launch delayed to next year
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A worker of Ariane Group stands in front of a Ariane 6 rocket's Vulcain 2.1 engine, prior to the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, in Vernon, France January 12, 2021. Christophe Ena/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Aug 16 (Reuters) - The first launch of Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket has slipped into 2024 after an incomplete recent ground test, the head of the European Space Agency suggested in remarks to Reuters. Ninety percent of July's objectives were met and further tests are scheduled for September, it added. "After this series of tests we plan to consolidate a launch date for Ariane 6," ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher told Reuters. Asked whether it was fair to assume that plans for a test launch before the end of the year were now out of reach, Aschbacher told Reuters, "This is fair to say, yes".

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Christophe Ena, Safran, Josef Aschbacher, Aschbacher, Guillaume Faury, Tim Hepher, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Ariane, Rights, European Space Agency, Reuters, ESA, Airbus, Paris Air Forum, Thomson Locations: Vernon, France, Guiana, Germany, European

☆ Euclid telescope shares its first glimpses of the universe
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The Euclid space telescope, designed to investigate some of the universe’s biggest mysteries, has captured its first glimpses of the cosmos. Investigating invisible dark matterEuclid’s primary goal is to observe the cosmic mysteries of the universe, including dark matter and dark energy. While dark matter has never actually been detected, it is believed to make up at least 85% of the total matter in the universe. These observations will effectively allow Euclid to see how the universe has evolved over the past 10 billion years. As Euclid makes its observations, the telescope will create a catalog of about 1.5 billion galaxies and the stars within them.

Persons: ”, Giuseppe Racca, “, Euclid, NASA’s James Webb, Josef Aschbacher, Reiko Nakajima, we’ve, William Gillard, Georges Lemaître, Edwin Hubble, Webb Organizations: CNN, European Space Agency, Telescope, ESA, Canadian Space Agency, Euclid, Euclid Consortium, NASA Locations: Alexandria

☆ European telescope launched to hunt for clues to universe's darkest secrets
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the European Space Agency Euclid space telescope, lifts off from pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Saturday, July 1, 2023. The Euclid mission is designed to explore the evolution of the dark universe. A European space telescope blasted off Saturday on a quest to explore the mysterious and invisible realm known as the dark universe. SpaceX launched the European Space Agency's Euclid observatory toward its ultimate destination 1 million miles (1.5 million kilometers) away, the Webb Space Telescope's neighborhood. "It's more than a space telescope, Euclid.

Persons: Webb, Josef Aschbacher, Carole Mundell, Euclid, It's, Rene Laureijs, Europe's, Giuseppe Racca Organizations: SpaceX, European Space Agency, Cape Canaveral Space Force, Space, NASA Locations: Cape Canaveral, Fla, Germany, Florida, Guiana, South America, Ukraine

☆ Europe’s Juice Mission Will Launch to Jupiter and Its Moons: How to Watch
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Jonathan O Callaghan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Jupiter, king of the solar system, will be getting new visitors. The robotic mission that will leave for Jupiter on Thursday is Juice, or the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, from the European Space Agency, or ESA, aiming to closely study three of Jupiter’s satellites: Callisto, Europa and Ganymede. When will the launch happen, and how can I watch it? Juice is scheduled to launch on April 13 at 8:15 a.m. Eastern time. ESA will stream the launch live on its website and on its YouTube channel.

☆ European Space Agency announces first ‘parastronaut’
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

It’s the first time the space agency has established an astronaut reserve, which is made up of candidates who successfully completed the selection process but were not recruited. McFall, a British medic and Paralympian, said he felt compelled to apply when he saw ESA’s ad for an astronaut with a physical disability. McFall, a British medic, will become the first astronaut with a physical disability. The space agency has been closely involved with NASA’s Artemis mission to put humans back on the moon, and ESA hopes that the first European to set foot on the moon will be among this class of astronauts. The space agency on Wednesday also agreed on a new budget of 16.9 billion euros ($17.5 billion) for the next three years — an increase of 17% from 2019.

☆ European ministers to debate sharp increase in space funding
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Logos of ArianeGroup and the ESA (European Space Agency) are seen on a rocket model at the entrance of the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) space exploration conference in Paris, France, September 19, 2022. Other initiatives include extending Europe’s global navigation system into low Earth orbit and kickstarting a new satellite mission, Harmony, to expand climate research. Ministers will seek to close a narrow funding gap for Ariane 6 rockets and discuss the future of emerging micro-launchers. In a recent interview, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher urged rapid global action to tackle congestion in low Earth orbit including a ban on ASAT or anti-satellite weapons tests. Even without such threats, the sheer number of satellites and fragments of debris in low Earth orbit raises concerns.

☆ Europe's space agency is turning to Elon Musk's SpaceX after anti-Russian sanctions left it scrambling for rockets
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets will be used in two launches by the European Space Agency. The agency's boss has previously warned that the rest of the world's space tech is falling behind SpaceX. "In response to EU sanctions against our enterprises, Roscosmos is suspending cooperation with European partners in organizing space launches," it announced at the time. The ESA's choice of SpaceX rockets comes soon after a payment dispute over Musk's Starlink service in Ukraine, which has provided key internet access during the war while normal infrastructure has been offline. SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider on the ESA's use of Falcon 9 rockets.

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