ArianeGroup has confirmed that the first and second stages for the next Ariane 6 flight have begun the transatlantic voyage aboard the sail-assisted transport ship Canopée.
The first Ariane 6 flight was launched on 9 July from Europe’s launch facility in French Guiana. While Arianespace, the rocket’s commercial operator, had initially stated that the next flight would occur before the end of 2024, the company announced earlier this month that the launch had been pushed to no earlier than February 2025.
In an 18 November update, ArianeGroup revealed that the main and upper stages of the second Ariane 6 rocket had departed from the port of Bremen in Germany heading for Pariacabo Port in French Guiana. The purpose-built sail-assisted Ariane 6 transport ship Canopée is expected to arrive by the end of this month.
Once the Canopée completes its voyage, the stages will be transferred to the Launcher Assembly Building on the grounds of the Guiana Space Centre’s Launch Complex No. 4. The stages will then be integrated to form the launcher’s central core, after which it will be transferred to the launch pad.
The second flight of Ariane 6 will carry the CSO-3 spy satellite into orbit for the French armed forces. The satellite will be launched aboard the Ariane 62 variant, which features two P120 solid-fuel boosters. According to ArianeGroup, the elements of the two boosters have already been delivered to the Guiana Space Centre and their integration is underway.
While Arianespace prepares for the second flight of Ariane 6, teams at ArianeGroup’s facilities in Les Mureaux and Bremen are working on integrating elements for the rocket’s third, fourth, and fifth flights.
