On Thursday, two high-profile rocket launches ended up with very different outcomes. For SpaceX, its South Texas launch of a Starship rocket as part of its ongoing mission to Mars project ended with an explosion in space minutes after liftoff.

Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket successfully deployed a French spy satellite in its first fully operational launch on Thursday, completing a return to space for a continent facing questions over its role amid a security rift with the United States.

Arianespace CEO Stéphane Israël has said that Ariane 6 is key to “giving Europe an autonomous access to space,” despite delays that pushed its debut from 2020 all the way to 2024. Now it’s made a second successful launch,