Ariane 6 is a European expendable launch system developed for the European Space Agency (ESA) and French Space Agency (CNES) and manufactured by a consortium of European companies, led by the prime contractor ArianeGroup. As part of the Ariane rocket family, it is operated by Arianespace, replacing the Ariane 5.
positioning
- ArianeGroup describes Ariane 6 as a heavy-lift launcher built to guarantee Europe independent access to space ("un lanceur de grande capacite destine a assurer a l'Europe un acces independant a l'espace"). as of 2026-10-29
- ArianeGroup calls Ariane 6 "powerful, highly versatile and scalable," able to serve institutional and commercial missions across multiple orbits with two configurable booster versions. as of 2026-10-29
- ArianeGroup positions Ariane 6 as a cooperative European achievement, citing more than 600 industrial partners and suppliers across thirteen European countries. as of 2026-10-29
facts
providerArianeGroup
countryFRA
classunknown
payload to LEOkg21,650
reusableno
first flight2024-07-09
flights total8
flights successful7
last flight2026-06-17
next flight2026-10-07
statusactive
price per launchUSDunknown
payload to GTOkg11,500
heightm63
diameterm5.4
crawled events
- noise2026-11-02ESA opens call to fund reusable booster flight demonstrations
- notable2026-10-23ESA's Themis reusable rocket may miss its 2026 flight window
- notable2026-10-21Airbus ships first lightweight Vulcain aft bay for Ariane 6 Block 2
- noise2026-10-06EU extends SALTO deadline again as Themis hop test slips
- noise2026-09-29ArianeGroup completes second Themis wet dress rehearsal
- noise2026-09-23ESA-JAXA Ramses spacecraft core module powers on for first time
- notable2026-09-23EU commissioner says bloc needs 14 Ariane 6 launches a year by 2031
- notable2026-09-18Ariane 6 turbopump anomaly caps Arianespace at six 2026 launches
- noise2026-09-10KT SAT picks Ariane 6 to launch KOREASAT 9 in 2028
- noise2026-09-09Arianespace and ICEYE sign MoU on Ariane 6 SAR satellite launches
- notable2026-08-20ESA confirms it has shelved the Ariane 6 Block 3 upgrade
- notable2026-08-10ESA says Europe faces a launcher shortage around 2030
latest 12 of 22 items naming this entity
timeline
- 20252025-03-06Ariane 6 flies its first commercial mission, launching CSO-3 satelliteas of 2026-07-12
- 20242024-07-09Ariane 6 completes maiden flight, restoring Europe's independent access to spaceas of 2026-07-12
- 20222022-04-05Arianespace signs contract with Amazon for 18 Ariane 6 launches for Project Kuiperas of 2026-07-12
- 20152015-08-12ESA and industry sign contracts starting Ariane 6 developmentas of 2026-07-12
sources
[1] ll.thespacedevs.com ↗
provider2026-07-05country2026-07-05payload to LEO (kg)2026-07-05reusable2026-07-05first flight2026-07-05next flight2026-09-07status2026-07-05payload to GTO (kg)2026-07-08height (m)2026-07-08diameter (m)2026-07-08
[3] ariane.group ↗
positioning claim 1first-party2026-10-29positioning claim 2first-party2026-10-29positioning claim 3first-party2026-10-29
faq
Who builds Ariane 6?
Ariane 6 is built by ArianeGroup. as of 2026-07-05
How many times has Ariane 6 flown?
Ariane 6 has flown 8 times. as of 2026-07-05
When did Ariane 6 first fly?
Ariane 6 first flew on 2024-07-09. as of 2026-07-05
Is Ariane 6 reusable?
Ariane 6 is not reusable. as of 2026-07-05