Post by : Badri Ariffin

The Ariane 6 rocket lifted off from Europe’s Guiana Space Centre in Kourou on Tuesday evening, taking flight at 6:02 pm local time (2102 GMT) and carrying the Sentinel-1D satellite for the EU’s Copernicus programme. The launch represents a notable advancement for Europe’s commercial launch capabilities.

This mission was the third commercial sortie for Ariane 6 since the expendable launcher entered operational service last year. Sentinel-1D, produced by Thales Alenia Space, tips the scales at more than two tonnes and carries sophisticated synthetic-aperture radar instruments able to image the planet irrespective of daylight or cloud cover.

Engineers plan for the satellite to operate in a 693-kilometre orbit. Controllers scheduled separation from the launcher at 33 minutes and 51 seconds after liftoff to ensure the spacecraft is delivered to its precise operational slot.

The Sentinel-1 family supplies high-resolution radar data used across forestry and crop monitoring, disaster response, and maritime domain awareness. Its all-weather, day-and-night imaging extends Europe’s capability to track environmental changes and support emergency services.

Beyond the immediate operational gains, the flight underscores the maturing of European launch technology and confirms Ariane 6’s growing role in placing large observation payloads into orbit.

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