Europe is back in space. Running years behind schedule, Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket blasted off on its maiden flight, Tuesday, July 9, from the European Space Agency‘s launch site in French Guiana. The flight deployed three sets of micro-satellites for research purposes, prompting European space officials to declare the trip a success.
However, the mission didn’t go entirely as planned. The final batch of payloads — two small capsules designed to test the conditions for surviving re-entry — were not launched after a smaller power unit shut itself down for unknown reasons.
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Despite the setback, the European Space Agency said it is on track for another mission by the end of the year.
