NARRATIVE – The take-off of the probe, initially scheduled for Thursday from Guyana aboard an Ariane 5 rocket for an arrival scheduled for 2031, has been postponed to Friday. The European Space Agency estimates its cost at 1.6 billion euros.
A launch is always a special moment in a space mission. The right to error does not exist. Even though failures are thankfully rare today, it is still a critical milestone. It is also one of the most stressful times for engineers and scientists who have dedicated years of their careers and lives to an often unique project. For a few moments, they become mere spectators. They no longer have control. Their precious machine is perched on top of a mountain of explosives that we are about to trigger.
Everyone will experience the event in their own way. Generally a diffuse mixture of rationality, hope and angst. When the rocket takes off with a deafening crash, the power of the show can captivate or move. Time stands still for a moment. After only a few minutes, the rocket is already a few hundred kilometers high and several thousand kilometers away (unlike…
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