23.05.2024
Ariane 6 inaugural launch planned for first half of July
A booster with an Avio-produced P120C motor is moved into position to be mated to the core stage of an Ariane 6 ahead of that rocket's first flight, scheduled for the summer. Credit: ESA/ArianeGroup/Arianespace/CNES
WASHINGTON — The first launch of the Ariane 6 is expected in the first half of July as the vehicle takes shape at its French Guiana launch site.
The European Space Agency announced May 21 that the joint team working on the Ariane 6, including ESA, prime contractor ArianeGroup, launch services provider Arianespace and the French space agency CNES, expect the Ariane 6 inaugural launch to take place in the first two weeks of July.
That is in the middle of a time frame previously announced by ESA of somewhere between the middle of June and end of July. ESA said a specific, albeit tentative, date for the launch will be announced at the ILA air show in Berlin, scheduled for June 5 to 9.
The update was the first refinement of the launch date since November 2023, when ESA announced the window of the middle of June to the end of July. Officials previously said that they would provide an update on the launch after the completion of a qualification review slated to end in late April.
In the latest update, ESA said it completed that qualification review April 29. Workers have also started to stack the rocket itself, attaching its two solid rocket boosters to the core stage. The upper stage and payloads will be installed in June ahead of a fueling test and practice countdown called a wet dress rehearsal scheduled for June 18.
While ESA had not provided an update until now on the Ariane 6 launch dates, executives with two major suppliers said they believed the launch was on schedule. “It seems to me we’re going in the right direction for a flight in July,” Giulio Ranzo, chief executive of Avio, said of Ariane 6 in a May 9 earnings call. Avio produces the solid rocket motors used in the Ariane 6 strap-on boosters.
“We are very confident that Ariane 6 will launch within the known launch period from mid-June through the end of July,” Marco Fuchs, chief executive of OHB, said in his company’s May 8 earnings call. “I think preparations are going very well.”
Josef Aschbacher, director general of ESA, called the first launch of Ariane 6 the “big event of the year” for Europe in space during a session of the 39th Space Symposium in April. A successful flight of the long-delayed Ariane 6 would help alleviate the “launcher crisis” that has forced ESA and the European Commission to purchase several Falcon 9 launches from SpaceX. That includes the scheduled May 28 launch of EarthCARE, a joint Earth science mission of ESA and the Japanese space agency JAXA, on a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
At Space Symposium, though, Aschbacher worked to set expectations about that first flight. “Statistically, there’s a 47% chance the first flight may not succeed or happen exactly as planned,” he said, citing the track record of first launches of new large launch vehicles. “We’ll do everything we can to make it a successful flight but I think it’s something that we have to keep in mind.”
Quelle: SN
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Update: 4.06.2024
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YPSat checked in for Ariane 6 flight
ESA’s Young Professionals Satellite, YPSat, being checked out in a cleanroom at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, in preparation for the inaugural launch of Ariane 6, coming soon.
YPSat is a project run in its entirety by ESA Young Professionals to give them direct early experience in designing, building and testing hardware for space. Equipped with cameras – seen here at the top of the payload – a quantum-based magnetic sensor and an amateur radio unit, YPSat’s goal is to capture all the key phases of Ariane 6's first flight.
Members of the YPSat team arrived in French Guiana a week ago to begin an integration process including a battery health check, and various checks to ensure the nominal functionality of all systems. After that the YPSat payload will be bolted to the Ariane 6 launch adapter.
Seen here are Katrin Geigenberger and Martin Nenkov of the YPSat team. Follow further updates on YPSat’s progress via the team’s LinkedIn.
Ariane 6’s first attempt for launch will happen within the first two weeks of July 2024.
Quelle: ESA
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Update: 6.06.2024
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Ariane 6 inaugural launch targeted for 9 July
The first launch of Ariane 6 is targeted for 9 July 2024 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher announced at the ILA Berlin Air Show today.
Josef Aschbacher was joined by the Ariane 6 Task Force partners, ArianeGroup CEO Martin Sion, CNES CEO Philippe Baptiste and Arianespace CEO Stéphane Israël on stage to announce this milestone.
Walther Pelzer, Director General of the German Space Agency at DLR, was also present for the occasion.
Ariane 6 is Europe’s new heavy lift launch vehicle replacing its extremely successful predecessor, Ariane 5. Modular and agile, Ariane 6 has a reignitable upper stage allowing it to launch multiple missions on different orbits on a single flight.
ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said, “Ariane 6 marks a new era of autonomous, versatile European space travel. This powerful rocket is the culmination of many years of dedication and ingenuity from thousands across Europe and, as it launches, it will re-establish Europe’s independent access to space. I am glad to announce that the first launch attempt will be on 9 July. I would like to thank the teams on the ground for their tireless hard work, teamwork and dedication in this last stretch of the inaugural launch campaign. Ariane 6 is Europe’s rocket for the needs of today, adaptable to our future ambitions.”
For the development of Ariane 6, ESA is the Launch System Architect working with prime contractor ArianeGroup for the development of the launch vehicle and with CNES for the development of the ground segment. ESA is the operator responsible for the inaugural flight while for subsequent flights Arianespace is the launch service provider that markets and operates the Ariane 6 launcher for institutional and commercial customers to launch a variety of missions into orbit.
“The announcement of the scheduled date for Ariane 6’s first flight puts us on the home stretch of the launch campaign and we are fully engaged in completing the very last steps. This flight will mark the culmination of years of development and testing by the teams at ArianeGroup and its partners across Europe. It will pave the way for commercial operations and a significant ramp-up over the next two years. Ariane 6 is a powerful, versatile and scalable launcher that will ensure Europe’s autonomous access to space,” said Martin Sion, CEO of ArianeGroup.
“Once again, the announcement of the inaugural flight date of Ariane 6 from the Guiana Space Centre is a crucial step towards European sovereignty in terms of access to space. Reaching this date was made possible thanks to the colossal efforts of all entities in the home stretch. I would like to pay tribute the collective achievement of overcoming the pitfalls over the months. Now to the final adjustments before launch. Europe in space is ready for take-off: we're all united behind Ariane 6!” exclaimed Philippe Baptiste, CEO of CNES.
“With 30 missions in our order book, Ariane 6 has already gained the trust of institutional and commercial customers. We are preparing to make Ariane 6’s second launch by the end of the year, followed by a steady rise to around ten launches a year once we reach cruising speed. It represents a splendid challenge for Arianespace and our partners,” added Stéphane Israël, CEO of Arianespace.
At Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, many and varied payloads have been integrated on Ariane 6’s payload carrier. The last major milestone before launch is the wet dress rehearsal. Once this activity has been completed, the Ariane 6 Task Force will provide a joint update on the inaugural flight.
Quelle: ESA
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Update: 9.06.2024
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At long last: Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket set to debut on July 9
The next-generation rocket will lift off from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.
Europe's new Ariane 6 heavy-lift rocket is set to launch for the first time on July 9 after a series of delays.
The European Space Agency's (ESA) Ariane 6 rocket, developed by ArianeGroup, will lift off from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. The date of the rocket's long-awaited inaugural flight was announced at the ILA Berlin air show on June 5; however, a specific launch time or window has not yet been released.
"Ariane 6 marks a new era of autonomous, versatile European space travel," Josef Aschbacher, ESA's director general, said in a statement from the space agency. "This powerful rocket is the culmination of many years of dedication and ingenuity from thousands across Europe and, as it launches, it will re-establish Europe's independent access to space."
Ariane 6 is Europe's next-generation heavy-lift launch vehicle, consisting of a main and upper stage and two or four solid rocket boosters. Its reignitable upper stage will allow it to launch multiple missions on different orbits on a single flight, ESA officials said in the statement.
The new rocket will replace the venerable Ariane 5, which was retired last Julyafter 27 years of service and more than 100 successful launches. Europe's original plan was to have the Ariane 6 up and running by 2020, allowing for a smooth transition between the two launch vehicles. However, Ariane 6 suffered a series of delays caused by technical issues, COVID-19 and design changes.
"I would like to thank the teams on the ground for their tireless hard work, teamwork and dedication in this last stretch of the inaugural launch campaign," Aschbacher said in the statement. "Ariane 6 is Europe's rocket for the needs of today, adaptable to our future ambitions."
With a scheduled launch date officially on the books, ESA and its partners are completing the final steps for liftoff, including a fueling test and practice countdown known as a wet dress rehearsal, which is slated for June 18.
"This flight will mark the culmination of years of development and testing by the teams at ArianeGroup and its partners across Europe," Martin Sion, CEO of ArianeGroup, said in the statement. "It will pave the way for commercial operations and a significant ramp-up over the next two years. Ariane 6 is a powerful, versatile and scalable launcher that will ensure Europe's autonomous access to space."
While the inaugural Ariane 6 launch is primarily a demonstration flight, it will carry various payloads, which have already been integrated on the rocket's payload carrier. If successful, Ariane 6 could launch on a second flight by the end of the year, with the goal to eventually complete about 10 launches each year.
Quelle: SC
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Update: 18.06.2024
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Upper part completes first Ariane 6
Hoisting the upper composite with the payloads to be launched on the first Ariane 6 at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, 14 June 2024.
Inside the rocket’s fairing – a nosecone that splits into two vertically after liftoff – is hardware from experiments, deployers, satellites and reentry capsules. This plethora of missions are being supplied by space agencies, commercial companies, research institutes, universities and young professionals.
Europe’s newest rocket soon launches, taking with it many space missions, each with a unique objective, destination and team at home, cheering them on. Whether launching new satellites to look back and study Earth, peer out to deep space or test important new technologies in orbit, Ariane 6’s first flight will showcase the versatility and flexibility of this impressive, heavy-lift launcher.
Ariane 6 is Europe’s newest heavy-lift rocket, designed to provide great power and flexibility at a lower cost than its predecessors. The launcher’s configuration – with an upgraded main stage, a choice of either two or four powerful boosters and a new restartable upper stage – will provide Europe with greater efficiency and possibility as it can launch multiple missions into different orbits on a single flight, while its upper stage will deorbit itself at the end of mission.
Quelle: ESA
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Update: 23.06.2024
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Ariane 6 pre-show: wet dress rehearsal complete
Yesterday, the first Ariane 6 rocket to launch into space went through its last full ‘wet dress rehearsal’ at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana – it provided an exciting sneak peek of what’s to come, stopping just a few seconds before engine ignition and of course, lift-off.
Similar to rehearsals carried out with a test rocket during combined test campaigns, this time the real flight model, its payloads, the launchpad and teams on the ground went through every step of launch operations; from pumping 180 tonnes of propellant – liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen – into the waiting Ariane 6, the rollback of the mobile gantry, running all of the ground control software and more.
“The wet dress rehearsal is the very final milestone before launch,” says ESA’s Guy Pilchen, Ariane 6 launcher project manager “allowing teams to fine-tune the delicate operations required up until liftoff, using the real rocket’s actual flight hardware and software for the first time.”
Top tip: fill slowly with supercool fuel
One of the first steps was to roll back the colossal 90-m tall Ariane 6 mobile gantry building 120 m away from the launch pad – the first moment the complete rocket stood free.
Pumping fuel into the Ariane 6 then took about 3,5 hours, as technicians at the control centre first began by slowly cooling the pipes, valves, tanks and engines from the tropical temperatures in French Guiana of about 30 degrees Centigrade down to the super-chilled temperatures of the soon-incoming cryogenic fuels.
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As much an art as engineering, the propellants used by Europe’s new rocket Ariane 6 are supercooled to –180°C for the oxygen and –230°C for the hydrogen fuel. At these temperatures, any humidity already in the pipes would immediately freeze and could lead to blocked valves. To avoid this, any hint of air or moisture from the atmosphere was flushed out of the system by the inert (unreactive) gas, nitrogen, before fuelling began.
Once the tanks were full, teams continued topping them up as the liquid fuels would gradually boil away in the Sun. The rocket was subsequently drained of fuel in preparation for launch.
Countdown to just a few seconds
“The rocket, the launch pad and teams from ESA, CNESand ArianeGroup, all put in a great performance, and everything went smoothly – I couldn’t be prouder,” says ESA’s Pier Domenico Resta, “after all these years of preparation we are very close to launch.”
Data from the rehearsal is now being analysed with results expected on 26 June which will confirm the launch date when Ariane 6 will go through the same process, except finally igniting and completing the last few seconds – taking off from Earth for the first time.
We have come a long way
The first parts of Ariane 6 began arriving in French Guiana from continental Europe in February 2024 via the Canopée ‘spaceship’. In March, the main stage and upper stage were assembled, followed by the transfer of the two powerful P120C boosters in April.
In May, Ariane 6’s first passengers also arrived in Kourou – a varied selection of experiments, satellites, payload deployers and reentry demonstrations that represent thousands across Europe, from students to industry and experienced space actors NASA and ArianeGroup.
The payloads were integrated onto the ‘ballast’ at the end of May, and just a few days ago the ballast was fitted onto the top of the rocket and the fairing closed around it – the last time Ariane 6’s cargo would see light.
From Earth observation to technology demonstrations testing wildlife tracking, 3D printing in open space, open-source software and hardware and science missions looking for the most energetic explosions in the universe, the passengers on Ariane 6’s first flight are a testament to the rocket’s adaptability, complexity, and its role for the future – launching any mission, anywhere.
“Ariane 6 was designed and developed to secure Europe’s independent access to space,” explains Toni Tolker-Nielsen, ESA's Director of Space Transportation.
“With the first launch of this new heavy-lift rocket, Europe is back in space. Space activities are becoming an integral part of any modern economy, Ariane 6 will ensure Europe is not missing out and will serve its exploration and scientific missions”.
Quelle: ESA
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Ariane 6 launches: splashdown for Nyx Bikini
Europe’s newest rocket soon launches, taking with it many space missions each with a unique objective, destination and team at home, cheering them on. Whether launching new satellites to look back and study Earth, peer out to deep space or test important new technologies in orbit, Ariane 6’s first flight will showcase the versatility and flexibility of this impressive, heavy-lift launcher. Read on for all about Nyx Bikini, then see who else is flying first.
Hot on the heels of being selected for Europe’s cargo transportation initiative to the International Space Station, the Exploration Company’s Nyx Bikini intends to perform a ballistic reentry demonstration.
Nyx Bikini is a technology demonstrator of 60 cm diameter – about the size of a large lampshade – that will allow Exploration Company to get their first data on atmospheric reentry and calibrate their mathematical models.
At the end of the Ariane 6 mission, the upper stage of Europe’s new rocket will be flying at roughly 28 800 km/h around Earth. A few minutes before the upper stage sends itself to a fiery and safe disposal into Earth’s atmosphere, Nyx Bikini will be detached to also fall down to Earth.
Unlike the Ariane 6 upper stage, Nyx Bikini has been designed to survive the intense heat that generates during reentry – up to 2100°C.
Developed in just nine months and for a cost of under 2 million euros Nyx Bikini is an example of the new European space sector.
Hélène Huby, The Exploration Company CEO explains: “From an industrial point of view, having built Nyx Bikini in just nine months from sketch to qualification has enabled us as a start-up to prove ourselves to supply chain partners, prove our development and production processes, and it demonstrates that we can build spacecraft fast and for a fraction of the costs – while accepting risks.”
Some of the hardware in the reentry capsule is not designed for space, for example the avionics hardware – the spacecraft’s ‘brain’ – has been taken from the drone industry and is not qualified to withstand the radiation it may receive in space. As the Nyx Bikini mission will last just three hours, the risk of a serious failure is low and using established hardware for Earth is a way to reduce costs and time to build.
Another example is how Nyx Bikini phones home during its descent into the Pacific Ocean: it will be using a standard satellite phone. Simulations show it should work, but the phone terminal was – unsurprisingly – not designed to be used from inside a returning spacecraft.
Bikini is an uncontrolled capsule, so in order to prevent that it tumbles and reenters with its heatshield backwards, three flaps will force Bikini to reenter with its heatshield forward. This technical solution bears more risk but is cheaper than costly and complicated thrusters.
“If one of these risks materialize, we will gather no data and our mission will fail,” explains Hélène, “but we will have gathered unique learnings about our technical capabilities, our industrial processes, our supply-chain partners, and the legal and technical path to secure a reentry license.”
Hélène continues: “This mission is a first step that paves the way for a European reusable space capsule. We are receiving countless messages from people from different backgrounds and countries in Europe, thanking us for inspiring them, because our company embodies that Europe can be bold and pioneer technologies beneficial for the world.”
“This first launch with Ariane 6 will be a special time for all of us, at The Exploration Company, as we will also be going to space, for the first time. Our team will be experiencing it together, and our emotions will be intense”, says Hélène, “Whatever the outcome of the mission, I am grateful for the relentless work of our team and of our partners who all contributed to build and qualify our Bikini capsule at unprecedented high speed and low costs. This also means that we have accepted some risks of mission failure. It reflects our DNA: for our first missions, we prioritise learning and iterating fast (which means more risks, but also faster learning), versus building the perfect capsule.”
And the name?
“The name was chosen jokingly, because the capsule might be almost ‘naked’ when it splashes down, and the bikini swimwear when it was invented in the 1960s, was quite innovative,” concludes Helene.
Quelle: ESA