Paris, March 7 -- Europe's latest heavy-lift rocket, Ariane 6, has successfully completed its first commercial launch, placing a satellite in orbit, Arianespace announced on Thursday.
The launch took place at 16:24 GMT from Kourou, French Guiana. It carried a satellite for the French Air and Space Force's Space Command.
"With this first commercial mission, Ariane 6 successfully placed CSO-3 (satellite) into sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) at an altitude of 800 km," Arianespace noted, adding that the spacecraft separation occurred 1 hour and 6 minutes after liftoff.
Arianespace CEO David Cavailloles emphasized that this successful beginning of the Ariane 6's commercial operation consolidates Europe's independent access to space.
For its firs...