The Ariane 6 European rocket successfully placed micro-satellites into orbit on Tuesday, on its inaugural flight from the Kourou space centre in French Guiana.
“It’s a historic day for the European Space Agency (ESA) and for Europe,” Joseph Aschbacher, Director-General of the ESA, said.
Philippe Baptiste, his counterpart at the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES), declared: “Europe is back.”
The successfull launch signifies Europe’s return to autonomous access to space, but it will only be seen as complete when the rocket's upper stage reenters the atmosphere as planned about three hours after the launch.
“The mission is not yet over,” warned Martin Sion, CEO of the manufacturer, Ariane Group.
