On 2 December ESA concluded a productive one-day Council Meeting at Ministerial Level in Luxembourg. <br /><br />Ministers from European Space Agency (ESA) Member States have approved the development of a new family of launchers.<br /><br />Ready for its first launch in 2020, Ariane 6 will complement and succeed the highly successful Ariane 5 launch vehicle.<br /><br />Ariane 6 will enable Europe to retain independent access to space and remain competitive in the global launcher market.<br /><br />The Ministers also agreed funding for the International Space Station and Space Exploration.
