Ariane 6 conducts successful dress rehearsal

Ariane 6 test vehicle conducts full-scale launch rehearsal on the pad

Test representative of the first flight September 1 2023

On 5 September 2023, teams from France's space agency CNES and ArianeGroup, under the lead of ESA, conducted a full-scale launch rehearsal on the pad for Ariane 6 at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, in preparation for its qualification and inaugural flight.

The test, which lasted eight minutes, simulated the engine firing sequence of the Ariane 6 core stage during a normal flight, and follows a successful seven-minute-long hot-fire test on the vehicle's main engine. This test was a key moment in the Ariane 6 development program and a major step towards its first flight, which is scheduled for September 1, 2023.

The Ariane 6 is a next-generation European launch vehicle that is being developed to replace the Ariane 5. It is designed to be more cost-effective and versatile than its predecessor, and will be able to launch a wide range of payloads into orbit.