Ariane 6 gains speed against SpaceX rival

Europe's Ariane 6 heavy-lift rocket launched for the third time ever tonight (Aug. 12), sending an advanced weather and climate satellite to orbit. Ariane 6, the successor to the recently retired Ariane 5, is operated by the French company Arianespace on behalf of the European Space Agency. The rocket debuted with a test flight in July 2024 and flew again this past March, successfully sending a French spy satellite to Earth orbit on the rocket's first-ever commercial mission. Bryan Quinn tells us more.