Europe bids farewell to Ariane 5 as rocket crisis looms

Europe's Ariane 5 rocket, the continent's workhorse for heavy missions, completed its final flight after 27 years of launches. This farewell flight comes at a challenging time for European space efforts, as delays to the next-generation Ariane 6 and Russia's withdrawal of rockets have left Europe without an independent means of launching heavy missions into space. The Ariane 5 had a rocky start but went on to become a reliable rocket, earning a reputation for its successful launches. With the rise of competition from SpaceX, Europe is facing difficulties in maintaining its presence in the launcher market. The European Space Agency is working intensively to prepare Ariane 6 and Vega-C for future launches.