The Ariane 6 mobile gantry frame is now complete, as posted about here. The next steps of the launch site construction are on track; below, see some photos taken by drones of the site on December 17th.

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Credit: 2019 – ESA/CNES – Sentinel: G. Berthier 

The frame of the mobile gantry that will cover Ariane 6 pre-launch was completed on November 30th. Even though it is 90 metres tall and weighs more than the Eiffel Tower, the entire structure is able to move on rails to uncover Ariane 6 as shortly as possible before takeoff.

The frame of the mobile gantry is here pictured with the flame trenches. The tiny little orange blurs are actually people!

From behind the mobile gantry, facing the launch assembly building, you can also see the launch complexes of Ariane 5 and Vega in the distance.

The Ariane 6 launcher assembly building faces the launch pad and mobile gantry seen in the background. Before launch, Ariane 6 will be transported to the mobile gantry along the stretch of road pictured.

Next to the mobile gantry and the flame trenches, a water tower is being constructed. This will provide huge deluges of water during launch to keep things cool.

For more pictures, updates, and more about the development of Ariane 6 and its launch site, you can follow the official ESA Space Transportation and Ariane 6 Twitter accounts, as well as the Ariane 6 Instagram account.