Ariane 6 rocket set for liftoff

KOUROU, July 9 (AFP): After four years of delays, Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket was set to blast off for the first time on Tuesday, carrying with it the continent's hopes of regaining independent access to space.
The inaugural flight of the European Space Agency's (ESA) most powerful rocket was scheduled to launch from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at 3pm local time (1800 GMT).
Since the last flight of the rocket's workhorse predecessor, Ariane 5, a year ago, Europe has been unable to launch satellites or other missions into space without relying on rivals.