Preparing the payloads for first Ariane 6 flight

Technicians prepare the payloads and ballast for the first flight of Ariane 6 at the encapsulation building at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, 6 June 2024.

Once the work was complete the payloads were enclosed inside the rocket’s fairing – a nosecone that splits into two vertically after liftoff – and the whole upper part, known as the upper composite, was moved from the encapsulation building to the launch pad where the Ariane 6 rocket awaited.

Europe’s newest rocket soon launches, taking with it many space missions, each with a unique objective, destination and team at home, cheering them on. Whether launching new satellites to look back and study Earth, peer out to deep space or test important new technologies in orbit, Ariane 6’s first flight will showcase the versatility and flexibility of this impressive, heavy-lift launcher.

Ariane 6 is Europe’s newest heavy-lift rocket, designed to provide great power and flexibility at a lower cost than its predecessors. The launcher’s configuration – with an upgraded main stage, a choice of either two or four powerful boosters and a new restartable upper stage – will provide Europe with greater efficiency and possibility as it can launch multiple missions into different orbits on a single flight, while its upper stage will deorbit itself at the end of mission.