[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