Europe's Ariane-6 rocket set to launch into space with Swiss collaboration

Europe's Ariane-6 rocket is scheduled to make its maiden flight on July 9, and Switzerland is one of the 13 countries participating in the programme, covering 2.4% of the total project cost. The rocket's payload fairing is supplied by the Swiss company Beyond-Gravity, while APCO Technologies, based in the town of Aigle in canton Vaud, provided the fastenings and the booster cap, among other components. After a delay of around four years, the launcher is scheduled to fly into space for the first time on July 9. Do you want to read our weekly top stories? Subscribe here. There are great expectations for the rocket, which is intended to provide participating countries with independent access to space. Renato Krpoun, Head of the Space Division at the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), told the Keystone-SDA news agency that this is part of Switzerland's space policy. The launch of the 56-metre-high, 540-tonne rocket is scheduled for 8pm Swiss time on ...