Europe’s new rocket, the Ariane-6, has successfully completed its maiden flight. The launch took place at 16:00 local time (19:00 GMT) from a launchpad in French Guiana, aiming to place a group of satellites into orbit. Ground crews in Kourou cheered as the rocket, developed at a cost of €4bn, ascended smoothly into the sky.

After reaching the desired altitude and correctly releasing several small satellites, the rocket’s upper stage encountered an issue at the end of the flight. Onboard computers decided to prematurely shut down the auxiliary power unit (APU) that pressurizes the propulsion system. This left the upper stage unable to initiate the burn needed to exit orbit and complete the final mission task of deploying two re-entry capsules.

Despite being unable to resolve the problem, the flight was still declared a success. “We’re relieved; we’re excited,” said Josef Aschbacher, the director general of the European Space Agency. “This is a historic moment. The inaugural launch of a new heavy-lift rocket doesn’t happen every year; it happens only every 20 or 30 years. And today we have launched Ariane-6 successfully”.