RAAF Woomera Range Complex Launch Area 6

LA-6

Mission Profile

Launch Area 6 (LA-6) at RAAF Woomera Range Complex in South Australia was the site of Europe's ambitious but ultimately ill-fated Europa rocket program, serving as the launch pad for all four Europa launch attempts between 1964 and 1970. The pad was built to support the joint British-French-German effort to develop an independent European orbital launch capability using a Blue Streak first stage, Coralie second stage, and ELDO-PAS upper stage. Despite numerous tests from LA-6, the Europa rocket never successfully reached orbit before the ELDO program was cancelled in 1973 and superseded by the French-led Ariane program. The site represents Europe's first major collaborative space effort and the lessons from its repeated failures that informed the design philosophy behind the successful Ariane rocket.