ArianeGroup and the European Space Agency had announced that the window for the inaugural Ariane 6 launch will open on June 15. This time, the rocket is there and already vertical at the Guiana Space Center. A campaign that is coupled with good news from Europe. Quickly, the sector really needs it!
It must be written that over the last five years, Ariane 6 has been talked about more for its delays than for good news. Despite everything, the long combined test campaign, during which the CNES, ArianeGroup and ESA teams repeated the operations linked to the assembly and launch of the rocket, is paying its dividends today. . Because since February, we have been talking about the elements of a “flight” Ariane 6 which are in the final stages of preparation. There is no longer any room for error.
In recent days, progress has been rapid and, above all, clearly visible. The two central stages are assembled at their launch site, with the two solid boosters which will help it climb quickly into the sky. And despite understandable concern about the outcome of the upcoming flight, all the echoes currently coming from the Guiana Space Center are shrouded in confidence.
Tests while waiting for the near outcome
There is other good news for Ariane 6, particularly on the European continent. If governments and manufacturers are still trying to put pressure on certain subcontractors to lower their costs, production of the next copies is underway and is going well. And the final tests of the upper stage were able to take place this spring, with a successful series of preliminary firings of the Vinci engine, intended to push its APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) element to its limits, all in degraded conditions. The next time the Vinci lights up, it will be at an altitude of more than 200 kilometers.
The outcome is approaching, and there is still a little margin. In about a month, the fairing should make its way to the brand new ELA-4, and if all goes well between now and then, those in charge will give the green light for the launch. All that will remain is to aim for the right orbit… and to hope that Ariane 6 will overcome the horrible statistics which burden the first launches (Ariane 5, then its new version ECA had not escaped this) thanks to its numerous tests at ground.
If successful in June, it would even be possible that Ariane 6 could fly a second time in 2024. Make no mistake, the inaugural takeoff is an essential step, but the official qualification of the new European launcher is only the most important cog. Ariane 6 is part of a long industrial chain so that access to the European space once again becomes a reality at reasonable rates. And the customers are numerous and less and less patient.
Schedule changes due to the invasion of Ukraine
To fill the holes in the availability of launchers, the Europeans (institutions as well as private customers) are for the most part forced to turn to the Americans from SpaceX, who have been accommodating on their schedules. This is evidenced by the takeoff a few days ago of a pair of Galileo geopositioning satellites.
Initially, the latter was to take off with Soyuz in spring 2022, but the European constellation suffered from blockages on both sides after the invasion of Ukraine. It will take time to regain a certain flexibility in the European launch slots, and there, it will not only be about Ariane 6, its little Italian cousin, Vega (and its Vega C version), will also be affected. Its return is not expected before September.
There are, however, good reasons to hope. Indeed, with a new order from the European institutions for future units of the Galileo constellation, signed this Monday, the Ariane 6 flight manifest now includes 30 flights. It’s a great performance for a launcher that some are already announcing as outdated!
The advantage of Ariane 6 will above all be that it will be able to evolve in the years to come. If it succeeds in its commissioning, it will be an important key to access to the European space until the turn of the next decade. It is no longer a question of catching up with SpaceX, but of showing that there are still performance and cost arguments to stay in the race. The answer in less than two months…
Source : ESA
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