Peter B. de Selding @pbdes.@Arianespace says today's first commercial flight of #Ariane6, carrying the French miitary @DGA CSO-3 optical reconnaissance satellite, has been scrubbed. No reason given and no estimate yet of when next attempt will be made. @esa @defis_eu @CNES
Next launch attempt NET March 5 per Arianespace CEO David Cavaillolès
https://twitter.com/Arianespace/status/1897076016381854143QuoteFlight #VA263 now scheduled on March 6, 2025The investigations carried out on the ground means interfacing with the launcher following the launch attempt on March 3, now enable Arianespace to target a launch on March 6 at 1:24 pm local time in Kourou French Guiana (4:24 pm UTC)Ariane 6 and its passenger, the CSO-3 satellite, are in stable and safe conditions.
Flight #VA263 now scheduled on March 6, 2025The investigations carried out on the ground means interfacing with the launcher following the launch attempt on March 3, now enable Arianespace to target a launch on March 6 at 1:24 pm local time in Kourou French Guiana (4:24 pm UTC)Ariane 6 and its passenger, the CSO-3 satellite, are in stable and safe conditions.
Press ReleasesAriane 6 performs first commercial flight with successful launch of CSO-3 satellite06.03.2025 The first commercial flight of Ariane 6, operated by Arianespace, placed the CSO-3 Earth observation satellite in orbit for the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) and the French space agency (CNES) for the French Air and Space Force’s Space Command (CDE). CSO-3 is the third CSO (Composante Spatiale Optique – Optical Space Component) satellite launched by Arianespace, completing the CSO system. With this successful launch in support of French defense and the capability requirements of several partner nations, Arianespace guarantees independent access to space for France and Europe.On March 6, 2025 at 1:24 p.m. local time in Kourou, French Guiana (4:24 p.m. UTC, 5:24 p.m. CET), Ariane 6, the new European heavy-lift launcher operated by Arianespace, lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport carrying the CSO-3 satellite on behalf of the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) and the French space agency (CNES), for the French Air and Space Force’s Space Command (CDE).With this first commercial mission, Ariane 6 successfully placed CSO-3 into sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) at an altitude of 800 km. Spacecraft separation occurred 1 hour and 6 minutes after lift-off.CSO-3 is the third satellite in the MUSIS (MUltinational Space-based Imaging System) program led by the DGA. This Earth observation system of three satellites is designed for defense and security purposes. They are equipped with the latest generation of optical sensors and guarantee the continuity of France’s optical Earth surveillance resources, transmitting very high resolution (VHR) images for France’s armed forces and its European partners. CSO-1 and CSO-2 were both successfully launched by Arianespace, in 2018 and 2020 respectively. Each satellite was developed by Airbus Defence and Space as prime contractor, with Thales Alenia Space prime contractor for the VHR optical instrument.David Cavaillolès, CEO of Arianespace, said: “The successful launch of CSO-3 is a great day for European space and marks the beginning of the Ariane 6’s commercial operation. With this further success, we are consolidating our independent access to space and helping to guarantee sovereignty on behalf of our citizens. It is an honor for Arianespace to have delivered the entire CSO system to orbit and to have accompanied France and its European partners in this strategic mission. I thank the Ministry for the Armed Forces, Space Command, the French Defense Procurement Agency and CNES for their renewed confidence.”CNES CEO Lionel Suchet said, “I am delighted at the successful launch of the French defense satellite CSO-3 for CNES and the DGA. This launch success, Ariane 6’s first commercial mission, is excellent news in so many ways and clearly demonstrates European and French excellence in space, to the benefit of our citizens. In orbiting of this third CSO satellite, CNES is providing the armed forces with operational support for the continuation of their space capabilities. I congratulate all the teams who worked to ensure the success of this launch, both in preparing the satellite and carrying out this first Ariane 6 commercial mission.”“With this success, Ariane confirms the return of autonomous access to space for Europe. It demonstrates the quality of the industrial development of Europe’s new heavy-lift launcher. This success is the result of unique European industrial cooperation. I want to thank the Ministry of Armed Forces for its renewed confidence as well as all employees from ArianeGroup and its partners for their unwavering commitment,” said Martin Sion, CEO of ArianeGroup. « All our efforts are now focused on ramping up the Ariane 6 production ».For this first commercial mission, the Ariane 6 vehicle was in the two-booster Ariane 62 configuration with a short fairing.Versatile and competitive, Ariane 6 achieves a major production ramp up in order to meet the requirements of European institutional missions, as well as the growing needs of the commercial market.Ariane 6 is a program developed within the framework of the European Space Agency (ESA). As prime contractor and design authority for the launcher, ArianeGroup is responsible for development and production alongside its industrial partners. Ariane 6 is marketed and operated by Arianespace as of this first commercial flight.The VA263 launch at a glance: 352nd launch by Arianespace 2nd Ariane 6 launch and 1st commercial flight 3rd CSO satellite launched by Arianespace, thereby completing the CSO system 59th defense satellite launched by Arianespace 145th spacecraft built by Airbus Defence and Space launched by Arianespace
Launch to take place at 16:24:26UTC.
ESA’s pioneering Biomass satellite arrives at launch site [Mar 10]Quote<snip>Stefan Kiryenko, ESA’s Biomass Launch Campaign Manager: “We now have the satellite in the cleanroom at Europe’s Spaceport and will be first checking that all is well with our baby – and then we have an intensive six-week programme of preparing it to be encapsulated in the Vega-C rocket fairing for liftoff in late April.”
<snip>Stefan Kiryenko, ESA’s Biomass Launch Campaign Manager: “We now have the satellite in the cleanroom at Europe’s Spaceport and will be first checking that all is well with our baby – and then we have an intensive six-week programme of preparing it to be encapsulated in the Vega-C rocket fairing for liftoff in late April.”
Arianespace to launch ESA’s Biomass satellite on April 29, 2025, with Vega C25.03.2025 On April 29, 2025, Arianespace will launch Biomass, the European Space Agency’s Earth Explorer satellite with a Vega C rocket. The Biomass mission is designed to deliver crucial information about the state of our forests and how they are changing, and to further our knowledge of the role forests play in the Earth’s carbon cycle. As the launch service provider, Arianespace contributes to Europe’s autonomous access to space, enabling ESA to carry out a critical mission in environmental monitoring and climate research.On Tuesday April 29th, 2025, at 6:15 a.m. local time (09:15 a.m. UTC, 11:15 a.m. CEST), Arianespace is to launch the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Earth Explorer Biomass satellite from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The mission called “VV26”, will place its passenger on board a Vega C launcher, into Sun-Synchronous Orbit at an altitude of around 666 km. Spacecraft separation will occur 57 minutes after lift-off.ESA’s Earth Explorers satellites are recognised as being among the world’s leading research missions, delivering groundbreaking scientific insights about Earth’s complex systems. Forests, the ‘Earth’s green lungs’, absorb around 8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year. Deforestation and degradation, particularly in tropical regions, are causing carbon stored in forests to be released back into the atmosphere. Quantifying the global carbon cycle is essential to understanding the subsequent implications for our climate.The Biomass satellite carries the first P-band synthetic aperture radar to observe Earth from space. Thanks to its long wavelength, around 70 cm, the radar signal can penetrate all the way through the forest canopy. This allows it to collect information on the height and structure of different forest types and measure the amount of carbon stored in the world’s forests and how it changes over time. In addition, the Biomass mission will map subsurface geology in deserts, the ice structure of ice sheets and the topography of forest floors.Biomass, manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space, will spend at least five years making detailed observations and witnessing at least eight growth cycles in the world’s forests. Observations from this new mission will also lead to better insight into the rates of habitat loss and, as a result, the effect this may have on biodiversity in the forest environment.The VV26 launch at a glance: 353rd launch by Arianespace, 4th Vega C launch 10% of the satellites launched by Arianespace are Earth observation satellites 52nd mission for the European Space Agency 146th spacecraft built by Airbus Defence and Space launched by Arianespace
Toulouse, April 2nd, 2025 – On April 1, 2025, CNES organized a meeting in Toulouse to present the progress of the MicroCarb satellite, scheduled for launch in July 2025 and designed to measure atmospheric CO2. Presentations were given by Mr François Marie Bréon, Scientific Director of the program and member of the IPCC, Ms Selma Cherchali, head of the Earth Observation and Studies program, and many other speakers from CNES. For this CO2 measurement mission, the MicroCarb satellite’s payload consists of a unique instrument which analyzes solar radiation reflected by the Earth in the mid-infrared range.
CO3D & MicroCarbLaunch TimeNET June, 2025
The Lunar Volatile and Mineralogy Mapping Orbiter (VMMO) aims to enhance our understanding of the distribution of water-ice and ilmenite in the lunar South Pole. This mission aims to map the distribution of water-ice and ilmenite (FeTiO3), crucial for supporting future human presence on the Moon. By identifying and mapping these in-situ resources, VMMO will address key questions about the lunar water cycle, nighttime frosting, and resource availability, providing invaluable data for lunar science and exploration.Platform: 16U CubeSat....Mission statusLaunch: potential opportunities Q4 2028 NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS).Status: Phase A completed in 2021, Delta Phase A & B1 KO in Feb 2025, SRR in June 2026.
PARIS — France plans to launch a maneuverable satellite into low Earth orbit in the next two years that can target other satellites, something French Space Command said is necessary to show the country can take action to protect its space assets.French nanosatellite builder U-Space will supply the demonstrator in partnership with missile maker MBDA, French Space Command boss Maj. Gen. Philippe Adam and company executives said at an industry conference in Paris on Tuesday. They didn’t detail the satellite’s offensive capabilities, though a presentation video showed the satellite targeting another orbiter with a green laser beam....France expects to launch the demonstrator satellite, called Splinter, in the next 12 to 24 months, Adam said. The overall project, dubbed Toutatis, will also include a low Earth orbit observation satellite called Lisa-1, and the goal is to test operational scenarios....France still hasn’t launched its experimental patroller nanosatellite Yoda, which is ready and waiting to be lifted into geostationary orbit, according to Adam, who declined to say when that might happen. Originally planned for 2023, Yoda has been delayed due to a lack of available launch slots.
ESA is leading the space-based component of EuroQCI through the Scylight program, including the Eagle-1 satellite, set to launch in 2026 to expand quantum-secure communications beyond terrestrial fiber networks.
The GOMX-5 mission is an 8U CubeSat aimed at performing a demo of Maritime Situational Awareness payload (RF observations). It also targets the flight qualification of new GOMSpace platform product and the provision of a flight software testbed (on-orbit software lab). Lastly, it will be a demo of ESA Zero Debris policy compliance via electric propulsion de-orbiting....Mission statusLaunch: Q3 2026 to SSO 500km.Status: funding for delta-Phase B to Phase F confirmed, delta-Phase B KO in November 2024, delta-PDR in Feb 2025.
CubeSpec is a 12U CubeSat mission which will focus on asteroseismology of bright pulsating stars (VIS mag. 4) with observations of 15 minutes every orbit per star for 1-3 months....Launch: Q2 2026 to SSO 500 km dawn-dusk.Status: Phase C-F contract kicked-off, Phase C ongoing, CDR planned in May 2025.
The launch of NESS+ is planned for 2027.[...]The second generation of Galileo will then succeed them, bringing enhanced and more powerful capabilities to the system. The first satellites will be launched in 2027.
https://cnes.fr/sites/default/files/2025-01/CP002-2025_-_Voeux_Presse.pdf [Jan 22, translated]QuoteThe launch of NESS+ is planned for 2027.[...]The second generation of Galileo will then succeed them, bringing enhanced and more powerful capabilities to the system. The first satellites will be launched in 2027.
