euesa1-4, Exercise 3: The launcher gap

Model answer:

After Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 the Soyuz launches from Kourou ended. Ariane 5 was retired in 2023, and its successor Ariane 6 was delayed and first flew in 2024. Vega-C also had a failure at the end of 2022. For a period Europe had no operational heavy launcher of its own, and some European missions and satellites flew on American rockets.

It matters because the whole case for building Ariane was independent access: choosing when and whether to launch without relying on others. A gap undermines that policy, and shows that having a rocket in principle is not the same as having one available.

Check each date and the current state of Ariane 6 before quoting them.