Watch the Launch

Additional Media

Vol VA263 | CSO-3 | Ariane 6 | Premier vol commercial I Arianespace

Le 6 mars 2025 à 13h24 heure locale (16h24 UTC, 17h24 CET), Ariane 6, opérée par Arianespace, a décollé avec succès du port spatial européen de Kourou, en Guyane française, avec à son bord le satellit...

Lancement d’Ariane 6 avec le satellite CSO-3

La mission VA263 sera le premier vol commercial d’Ariane 6, le nouveau lanceur lourd européen. Elle fait suite au succès de son vol inaugural, le 9 juillet 2024.

CSO-3

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Sun-Synchronous Orbit
Mission: Government/Top Secret

Sun-Synchronous Orbit Ariane Launch Area 4 Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

The CSO-3 (Composante Spatiale Optique-3 satellite is the third of three new-generation high-resolution optical imaging satellites for the French military, replacing the Helios 2 spy satellite series.

Updates


hitura-nobad • March 6, 2025, 5:32 p.m.

Payload deployed!


hitura-nobad • March 6, 2025, 4:24 p.m.

Liftoff!


LL2 • March 6, 2025, 3:53 p.m.

Official Webcast by arianespace has started


Cosmic_Penguin • March 5, 2025, 12:41 a.m.

Rescheduled for March 6.


Ariane 62

Family:
Configuration: 62

The Ariane 6 family is currently under development by the European Space Agency, with two variations including the Ariane 62 with two solid boosters intended for government and scientific missions.

See Details
Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    63.0 m
  • Diameter
    5.4 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    5.4 m
  • Launch Mass
    530.0 T
  • Thrust
    10370.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Ariane 62
  • Family
  • Variant
    62
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Ariane 62
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $85000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    10900.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    5100.0 kg
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity
    6450.0 kg

ArianeGroup

ArianeGroup

(AG)

CEO: Christophe Bruneau Founded: 2015 Successes: 0 Failures: 0 Pending: 0

Agency Type:

ArianeGroup (formerly Airbus Safran Launchers) is an aerospace company based in France. A joint venture between Airbus and Safran, the company was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Issy-les-Moulineaux. It consists of three core arms: aerospace, defence and security.

INFO WIKI

Related News

NASASpaceflight

Launch Roundup: Starship and Ariane 6 set to launch after scrubs

SpaceX is back with another active week, with five Falcon 9 rockets launching from two… The post Launch Roundup: Starship and Ariane 6 set to launch after scrubs appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Spaceflight Now

Live coverage: Arianespace to launch an Ariane 6 rocket on its 1st commercial mission

The launch will be managed by Arianespace and will carry the third satellite for the Optical Space Component (CSO– Composante Spatiale Optique) program. Liftoff from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana is set for 1:24 p.m. Kourou time (11:…

SpaceNews

Arianespace plans five Ariane 6 launches in 2025, primarily in the second half of the year

As Arianespace prepares for its first commercial Ariane 6 launch, it is projecting a manifest for the vehicle backloaded to the second half of the year. The post Arianespace plans five Ariane 6 launches in 2025, primarily in the second ha…

European Spaceflight

Arianespace to Launch Second Ariane 6 Rocket on 26 February

Arianespace has announced that the second flight of the Ariane 6 rocket will take place on 26 February at 5:24 PM CET (1:24 PM local time) from the Guiana Space Centre. The flight will be the rocket’s first commercial flight and will launc…

European Spaceflight

Second Ariane 6 Rocket Takes Shape as Spy Satellite Payload Arrives

ArianeGroup has shared that the core stage and two boosters for the second flight of the Ariane 6 rocket have been assembled on the ELA4 launch pad at the Guiana Space Centre. At the same time, the flight’s payload, the French CSO-3 spy sa…

Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

Ariane Launch Area 4


Smart Dragon 3
Success
5 hours, 32 minutes ago
OSE HS-01 & 02
Haiyang offshore launch location - Haiyang Oriental Spaceport

2 hyper-spectral Earth observation satellites from Chinese company STAR.VISION. Both satellites are built in corporation with foreign customers: *…


Falcon 9
Success
15 hours, 5 minutes ago
Starlink Group 17-53
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Long March 8A
Success
23 hours, 18 minutes ago
SatNet LEO Group 23
Commercial LC-1 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

A batch of 9 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group.…


Falcon 9
Success
4 days, 5 hours ago
Starlink Group 17-52
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
6 days ago
NROL-95
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Classified payload for the US National Reconnaissance Office.


Long March 6A
Success
6 days, 7 hours ago
TJSW-27A & B
Launch Complex 9A - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

2 Chinese classified satellites claimed to be for communication technology test purposes. Actual mission not known.


Long March 7A
Success
6 days, 20 hours ago
Tianlian 3-01
201 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

Tianlian is a Chinese data tracking and relay communications geostationary satellite series. The TL-3 (Tian Lian 3) satellites are the 3rd generation…


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 3 days ago
Starlink Group 17-51
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Starship
Success
1 week, 4 days ago
Flight 13
Orbital Launch Pad 2 - SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA

13th test flight of the two-stage Starship launch vehicle. Second flight of Starship V3. For the first time, Starship will carry 20 V3 Starlink sa…


Kinetica 1
Success
1 week, 5 days ago
5 satellites
Launch Area 130 - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Share-ride of 5 commercial Earth observation and technology demonstration satellites to SSO, including SpaceTY's TY-48. Details TBD.