Lifeboat Foundation

The European Space Agency’s member countries have endured a space access predicament as they have waited to have a functioning rocket in their toolbox.

But a new rocket, dubbed Ariane 6, just launched on its maiden mission after years of delays and hang-ups in the development process.

If successful, the space agency hopes that the Ariane 6 rocket system may go on to make the space agency more self-reliant and perhaps challenge SpaceX’s dominance in the global market for launching satellites.