काठमाडौं ।
Europe’s newest heavy-lift rocket, Ariane 6, successfully placed 32 Amazon low-Earth-orbit (Leo) satellites into orbit on Thursday, Arianespace announced.
Liftoff took place at 1:45 p.m. local time (1645 GMT) from Kourou, French Guiana. The mission, designated VA267, marked the sixth flight of Ariane 6 and its first launch in the Ariane 64 configuration.
Ariane 6 comes in two versions depending on mission requirements: Ariane 62, equipped with two boosters, and Ariane 64, with four boosters for higher payload capacity.
The satellites separated from the launcher one hour and 54 minutes after liftoff and were deployed into low-Earth orbit at an altitude of about 465 km.
The mission is the first in a series of 18 Ariane 6 launches contracted by Amazon for its Leo constellation. According to France Info, the constellation is intended to rival Elon Musk’s Starlink. After this mission, the constellation will comprise 212 satellites.
Ariane 6, Europe’s next-generation heavy rocket, completed its maiden flight on July 9, 2024. Xinhua
प्रकाशित: २ फाल्गुन २०८२, शनिबार
