A video of Rafale jets escorting a missile has gone viral on X.
The European Ariane 6 rocket launched on July 9 carrying the satellite. This lift marked Europe's re-entry into space. The launch was successful, but the mission ended with Ariane 6 entering orbit without its final payload.
In order to protect Europe's “return to space,” three French Rafale fighter jets were deployed to accompany the rocket and prevent any “infiltration of airborne contaminants.” A video of the Rafale jets escorting a rocket was widely shared on X.
A Rafale fighter is pictured from the cockpit of a fighter jet tracking the missile as it takes off from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
Tuesday, July 9, 2024 4pm local time Rocket #Ariana6 The launch took place from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou. AAE contributed its six aircraft to secure this “key operation”.
Look back and see this mission successfully completed. 🎥⤵️ pic.twitter.com/9lQEeHUBeK
– Air Force and Space (@Armee_de_lair) July 19, 2024
The fighters flew several hundred feet above the ground and gained altitude as the launch pad soared into space. The Dassault Rafale has a service ceiling of 50,000 feet. The video shows the waves being maintained and breaking in opposite directions.
The Ariane 6 rocket is powered by the Vinci engine, a new generation cryogenic engine that powers the upper stage of the Ariane 6 launcher, and is designed for repeated relaunching, allowing the operator to place payloads in different orbits.
“Three Rafale aircraft, two Eurocopter Phoenix aircraft and a Puma infantry fighting vehicle from Germany will form a security bubble to protect European spaceports from any malicious interference on the ground and in the air,” the French Air and Space Forces said.
Three Rafale aircraft deployed from 🇫🇷, and two Desert Foxes from ET 68 on their way #young boyIn addition to supporting ground forces, Puma enabled the creation of an air defence bubble to protect the European spaceport from any infiltration of contaminants on the ground and in the air. pic.twitter.com/swkoPucIu3
– Air Force and Space (@Armee_de_lair) July 9, 2024
Initially, a minor problem was discovered in the morning, which delayed the rocket for an hour, and then it took off under clear skies.
The mission suffered a minor setback when the rocket veered off course at the end of the flight, failing to make its planned re-entry into Earth's atmosphere and land in the Pacific Ocean.
But this did not discourage European space leaders, whose mission was to put satellites into orbit.
When it was launched, Ariane 6 brought hope for European sovereignty into space.
Since the last flight of its predecessor, Ariane 5, a year ago, Europe has had to rely on competitors such as Elon Musk's American company SpaceX.
Ariane 6, selected by the European Space Agency in 2014, will be able to place satellites into geostationary orbits 36,000 kilometres above the Earth, as well as satellite constellations several hundred kilometres high.
– With information from Agence France-Presse
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