Ariane: Marking 50 years of European space conquest

FRANCE IN FOCUS © FRANCE 24

Back in the 1960s, the Soviets and Americans were racing to the Moon. Europe did not want to be a bystander in the space race and embarked on the Ariane programme in 1973. We take a look back at how the Europeans launched their space programme. Today, the Ariane-6 rocket's inaugural flight is running three years behind schedule. The European Space Agency hopes it can take off by the end of 2023. FRANCE 24's Shirli Sitbon and Sylvain Rousseau report.