The powerful European-built Ariane 6 rocket successfully made its long-awaited liftoff on Tuesday, marking Europe's return to the launch market which has been dominated by Elon Musk's SpaceX. Standing more than 200 feet tall, Ariane 6 launched from Kourou in French Guiana, powered by its Vulcain engine and a pair of boosters, and reached orbit successfully.

Ariane 6 is the result of a joint effort overseen by the European Space Agency (ESA) and built by ArianeGroup, a joint venture of Airbus and Safran. This program, with a cost of about $4.5 billion, has received contributions from thirteen nations.

This rocket represents the latest addition to a lineage of European rockets dating back to the 1970s and serves as the successor to the Ariane 5, which retired last year after 117 successful launches. Ariane 6 is available in two versions: the Ariane 62, equipped with two solid rocket boosters capable of delivering up to 10,000 kilograms of cargo to low Earth orbit (LEO), and the Ariane 64, a model with four solid rocket boosters that can carry as many as 21,000 kilograms to LEO.

Ariane 6 falls into the "heavy" class of rockets in the launch market. Its debut flight, referred to as a demonstration mission for the ESA, will carry a variety of small satellites and spacecraft. The flight is expected to last nearly three hours, during which it will deploy 11 spacecraft and conduct crucial tests of the rocket's upper stage engine.

The first voyage of Ariane 6 has faced numerous delays over the years due to technical issues, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine. Additionally, Europe has had to rely on SpaceX several times as the American company has enjoyed a near monopoly in the global launch market. SpaceX's reusable and cost-effective Falcon 9 rockets have provided a compelling alternative for satellite operators, even leading to high-profile European missions launching on Falcon 9 rockets.

Despite these challenges, European leaders continue to support the Ariane 6 program, emphasizing the importance of Europe having its own access to space. Furthermore, the American tech giant Amazon has placed an impressive order of 97 rocket launches, with Arianespace winning nearly a fifth of those launches to fly their Project Kuiper internet satellites on Ariane 6.

As Europe celebrates the successful launch of the Ariane 6 rocket, it marks a clear challenge to SpaceX's dominance in the launch market. With powerful capabilities and a growing customer base, Ariane 6 is set to make its mark in the fiercely competitive space industry.