An Ariane 6 rocket launched from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana today at 4:03 p.m. EST (2103 GMT; 6:03 p.m. local time in Kourou), carrying the Sentinel-1D Earth-observation satellite to low Earth orbit (LEO). Broadcast courtesy: Arianespace | Space.com

14K views · 577 reactions | Did you know that this year's #ChristmasEve is the 40th anniversary of the first #Ariane 1 launch, on 24 December 1979? Join with us, CNES, ArianeGroup and #Arianespace in marking this occasion. Travel in time with this retro video of notable Ariane launches between 1979 and 1989, including Ariane 1 through 4. It also features an animation of then-future launch vehicle Ariane 5! (ESA/CNES) | ESA - European Space Agency | Facebook

Welcome to Space Ariane 6! After years of development Arianespace has launched the Ariane 6 rocket for the first time. Today's ride-share mission for the ESA - European Space Agency launched from Ensemble de Lancement Ariane-4 (ELA-4) launch pad at CSG Centre spatial guyanais in Kourou, French Guiana. On board were 11 deployable payloads for multiple universities and agencies including ESA and NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, as well as 5 non deployable experiments. 🎥 ESA -