Ariane 6 before the launch
Ariane 6 before the launch
Europe's new Ariane 6 launcher is ready for liftoff, which is scheduled on 9 July 2024. In preparation, the rocket completed a full wet dress rehearsal. The real flight model, its payloads, the launch pad and teams on the ground went through every step of the launch process: from pumping 180 tonnes of propellant – liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen – into the waiting Ariane 6, to running all the ground control software and more. The mobile gantry – a giant mobile garage on rails that is approximately 100 metres tall and weighs 8000 tonnes – surrounded the new rocket during its final integration, and was rolled back for the rehearsal. Shortly before the real take-off, the huge steel structure will again move back to a safe distance. With its gigantic dimensions, the mobile gantry is one of the largest and heaviest mobile structures in the world, and it.
