First Ariane 6 rocket launches as Europe rejoins a market dominated by Musk's SpaceX

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This photograph shows the takeoff of the European Space Agency satellite launcher Ariane 6 rocket from its launch pad, at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, on July 9, 2024. Jody Amiet | AFP | Getty Images The powerful European-built Ariane 6 rocket made its long-awaited liftoff on Tuesday as the region returned to a launch market dominated by Elon Musk's SpaceX. Ariane 6, standing more than 200 feet tall and powered by its Vulcain engine and a pair of boosters, launched from Kourou in French Guiana at 3 p.m. ET and then reached orbit successfully. The rocket is a combined effort of about $4.5 billion overseen by the European Space Agency, or ESA, and built by ArianeGroup, an Airbus and Safran joint venture. Thirteen nations contribute to the Ariane 6 program. This photograph shows the takeoff of the European Space Agency satellite launcher Ariane 6 rocket from its launch pad, at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, on July 9, 2024. Jody Amiet | AFP | Getty Images It is the latest in a European rocket lineage dating back to the 1970s, and succeeds the Ariane 5, which launched 117 times until it retired last year. Ariane 6 comes in two versions: Ariane 62, with two solid rocket boosters that can deliver as much as 10,000 kilograms of cargo to low Earth orbit (LEO), and Ariane 64, a model with four solid rockets boosters that can carry as many as 21,000 kilograms to LEO. In the launch market, Ariane 6 falls in the "heavy" class of rockets. Ariane 6's debut flight is a demonstration mission for the ESA, and will haul a variety of small satellites and spacecraft. After liftoff, the flight will last nearly three hours before it completes the deployment of 11 spacecraft, and also includes a key series of tests of the rocket's upper stage engine. Delayed debut The European Space Agency satellite launcher Ariane 6 rocket is seen prior to its maiden launch at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, on July 9, 2024. Jody Amiet | Afp | Getty Images Ariane 6's first voyage has been postponed by years, with delays fueled by technical issues, the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Following its full-scale invasion of its neighbor, Russia suspended all European mission launches on its Soyuz rockets. A smaller alternative European rocket, the Vega-C, has been grounded since a failed 2022 launch, and is not expected to fly again until later this year at the earliest. Despite rising costs and long delays, European leaders continue to support the Ariane 6 program, stressing the importance of the continent having its own access to space, rather than relying on SpaceX. But Europe has already had to turn to SpaceX several times out of necessity as the company enjoys a near monopoly on the global launch market. The European Space Agency satellite launcher Ariane 6 rocket moves to the launch pad prior to its liftoff at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, on July 9, 2024. Jody Amiet | Afp | Getty Images