LIVE: Europe's Ariane 6 rocket inaugural flight

Europe's new Ariane 6 satellite launcher will stage a long-awaited inaugural flight. The delayed debut comes a year after its predecessor, Ariane 5, was retired, leaving Europe with no independent path to orbit for its satellites after setbacks involving a smaller Italian alternative and the severing of ties with Russia over Ukraine. ESA nations agreed in 2014 to develop Ariane 6 in response to growing competition in the commercial launch market but its arrival, originally due in 2020, has been repeatedly delayed. The launcher has been developed by ArianeGroup, a joint venture between Airbus and Safran, in order to better compete with rivals like Elon Musk's SpaceX.

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