Arianespace
Every Cosmic Herald story on Arianespace — missions, launches, discoveries, and the business of space, newest first.
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Commercial
The World's Spaceports: Why Rockets Launch Where They Do
Latitude, launch azimuth, and downrange safety corridors dictate where a rocket can lift off. A tour of Cape Canaveral, Vandenberg, Baikonur, Kourou, Wenchang, and Mahia shows the physics — and the history — behind each choice.
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Commercial
Ariane 6 Just Lifted the Heaviest Payload in European Launch History. It Was Full of Amazon Satellites.
On June 17, an Ariane 64 rocket lifted 36 Amazon Leo broadband satellites to orbit — the heaviest payload ever lofted by an Ariane rocket, and the debut of upgraded P160C solid boosters that give the vehicle a 10% thrust increase. Europe's commercial heavy lifter is finding its stride.