Arianespace at the 18th European Space Conference: Ariane 6 ready for Europe’s space ambitions

Arianespace played a prominent role at the 18th European Space Conference (27–28 January) in Brussels, holding multiple high-level and bilateral discussions with European institutions, industry players, and commercial partners. Held at a pivotal moment for Europe’s space ambitions, the conference provided an opportunity for Arianespace to underscore the maturity and performance of Ariane 6 and to reaffirm its commitment to securing Europe’s autonomous access to space.

Arianespace on the “Access to Space: Industry Readiness” panel

One of the conference highlights was the participation of Arianespace CEO David Cavaillolès in the panel “Access to Space: Industry Readiness”, alongside representatives from the European Commission, the European Space Agency (ESA), and industry.

In 2025, Ariane 6 successfully carried out four institutional and sovereign missions, following its inaugural launch in July 2024. Within less than 18 months, Ariane 6 achieved five flights, marking the fastest operational ramp-up ever accomplished by a heavy-lift launch vehicle.

Two of these missions in 2025 supported Europe’s flagship Copernicus and Galileo programmes, with Galileo standing out as the most complex Ariane 6 mission to date. The launch featured a four-hour flight profile, an extended ballistic phase, and multiple Vinci engine reignitions, delivering exceptional injection accuracy. This performance confirms Ariane 6’s readiness to meet Europe’s most demanding strategic requirements, including future deployments for IRIS².

Looking ahead, 2026 will mark an acceleration phase for Ariane 6, with an expanded mission portfolio combining institutional and commercial payloads. Arianespace will also broaden its capabilities with constellation-type missions, including the first Ariane 6 flight in the four-booster configuration (A64). This milestone will enable the deployment of large-scale constellations and further strengthen Europe’s launch capacity and strategic autonomy.

Galileo L18 contract signature

The conference also provided the opportunity to formalize a key milestone with the signature of a contract between Arianespace and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), acting under delegation from the European Commission, for the launch of the second pair of second-generation Galileo satellites (Galileo L18).

This mission will represent Ariane 6’s fifth dedicated launch for the Galileo programme, reinforcing Arianespace’s central role in supporting Europe’s high-precision global navigation system and ensuring independent access to space.