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Timelapse video showing the central core for the Ariane 6 rocket arriving at the launch pad at Europe\u2019s Spaceport in French Guiana.\u00a0The Ariane 6 rocket being assembled here\u00a0will be the first to fly with four boosters, doubling liftoff thrust for the launcher,\u202fand see Ariane 6 take satellites for Amazon\u2019s Leo constellation to orbit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Four automated vehicles transported the Ariane\u202f6 central core\u00a0from the launcher assembly building to the launch pad that is about 800 meters away\u00a0on 21 January 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once at the launch pad, choreographed movements by two of the automated vehicles and a crane equipped with a lifting beam, raised the central core to its vertical launch position and placed it on the launch table. It was then rotated so that the stages\u2019 fluid connections were positioned opposite the launch pad\u00a0umbilicals\u00a0that will supply the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen fuel for launch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The four boosters used on this flight\u00a0were\u00a0connected to the central core on the launch pad\u00a0the next day. The booster structures are produced in Italy and then filled with solid propellant at Europe\u2019s Spaceport at their booster finishing facility. Ariane 6 flight VA267 will be the first flight to use four boosters to get to orbit.\u202fEach P120C solid rocket booster is 13.5 m long and 3.4 m in diameter. Filled with about 142 tonnes of solid propellant, they provide around 4500\u00a0kN\u00a0of maximum thrust. Working together the boosters will provide\u00a0the majority of\u00a0the thrust during Ariane 6\u2019s launch to get it off the launch pad.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ariane 6 in its four-booster configuration doubles the rocket\u2019s performance compared to the two-booster version that has flown five times including the inaugural flight in 2024. The P120C boosters used by Ariane 6 are one of the most powerful one-piece motors in production in the world. Flying with four boosters takes Ariane 6 to a whole new class of rockets. With the extra thrust from two more boosters Ariane 6 can take around 21.6 tonnes to low Earth orbit, more than double the 10.3 tonnes it could bring to orbit with just two boosters. The flight will\u00a0demonstrate\u00a0and prove the performance of four boosters working together with the main stage in real flight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ariane 6 is Europe\u2019s newest heavy-lift rocket, designed to provide great power and flexibility at a lower cost than its predecessors. The rocket provides Europe with greater efficiency and an ensures access to space for the benefits of humankind, allowing for all types of missions from exploration to navigation,\u00a0science\u00a0and communications.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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