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Added on the 17/05/2021 23:21:20 - Copyright : Orange - Webedia
People gather in Toulouse, in southern France, to watch the launch of Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket, which is bound to take off from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at 4pm local time (1900 GMT). IMAGES
The new Ariane 6 rocket smoothly launches into clear skies at 4pm local time (1900 GMT) from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, carrying with it the continent's hopes of regaining independent access to space. IMAGES
A Long March 2-C rocket carrying a satellite jointly developed by China and France lifted off from a space base in Xichang, in southwestern China. The launch took place around 3:00pm (0700 GMT). The satellite, dubbed the Space Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM), will seek out gamma-ray bursts, powerful cosmic explosions that offer clues about the history of the universe. IMAGES
China's Shenzhou-18 mission takes off from a launch centre in Jiuquan, in the northern Gansu province, carrying three astronauts to the country's Tiangong space station. The three are set to replace the space station's current crew and will remain in orbit around the Earth for six months. IMAGES
A rocket made by a Japanese company exploded just after launch on Wednesday in Japan's Wakayama. Tokyo-based startup Space One had been aiming to become the first Japanese private firm to successfully place a satellite into orbit. Its 18-meter (60-foot) solid-fuel Kairos rocket blasted off from the startup's own launch pad in Wakayama prefecture in western Japan, carrying a small government test satellite. But seconds after the launch, the rocket erupted into a ball of flame, with black smoke filling the launch pad area. Burning debris was seen falling onto the surrounding mountain slopes as sprinklers began spraying water. IMAGES
SpaceX's 'Starship' rocket, the largest ever built, takes off from the space company's Texas launch site. CEO Elon Musk hopes the ship will one day colonize Mars and NASA is awaiting a modified version to land humans on the Moon. The first test in April ended in a spectacular explosion over the Gulf of Mexico. IMAGES