THE NEW SPACE RACE: Ariane 6 completes long-duration static-fire test.

Related: Ariane 6 Passes Last Full-Duration Rehearsal Before Inaugural Flight.

Also: Ariane 6 cost and delays bring European launch industry to a breaking point. “In the decade since this agreement was reached, there have been at least three factors that have precipitated a crisis in European launch. One is the rise of SpaceX, which, through its reusable Falcon 9 rocket, has come to dominate the commercial market with prices about half those offered by the Ariane rockets. Because it has optimized for speed, SpaceX can also launch far more frequently and efficiently than Europe.”

The Europeans have a development cycle measured in decades. SpaceX has one measured in months-to-years.