Europe's Ariane 6 rocket debuts with long-awaited launch. 

Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket successfully launched from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, marking its long-awaited debut. Developed as a successor to the retired Ariane 5, the Ariane 6 aims to restore Europe's ability to launch large satellites independently. The rocket, built by ArianeGroup, features two variants capable of delivering payloads of up to 23.8 tons to low Earth orbit, at about half the cost of its predecessor. Despite being expendable unlike the reusable Falcon 9, the Ariane 6 has secured commitments for numerous missions, including deployments for Amazon's Kuiper satellite-internet constellation. The debut flight carried nine cubesats, including NASA's CURIE mission, which aims to study solar radio waves.