This November 23 at 9:30 p.m. (Paris), Ariane 6 is expected to ignite its unique and powerful Vulcain 2.1 engine at its launch site in Kourou. There’s no question of taking off, but it’s a complete simulation lasting almost 8 minutes with the engine screaming. The most difficult test of the combined trials, and the most anticipated before 2024…
Certainly, the Ariane 6 saga is never-ending and the first takeoff, a time announced for 2020, will not take place before next year. But if the official authorities and Arianegroup refuse to give a date for the inaugural takeoff for the moment, it is because it remains the most important test of the entire (long) combined test campaign… A firing of almost 8 minutes at the launch site, the ELA-4, at the Guiana Space Center.
For months, the teams have been preparing for this veritable deluge of fire, which should take place on Thursday November 23 at 9:30 p.m. Initially, it was not planned to broadcast it, but the European Space Agency finally gave in: the ignition will be visible live on Web TV, with a special broadcast from 9:10 p.m.
A long, gentle flame
On paper, the test looks interesting. After a countdown under the same conditions as for a flight campaign, Ariane 6 will turn on its Vulcain 2.1 engine, which will increase in power and remain on for 7 minutes and 50 seconds, with some variations in thrust corresponding, also, to the same characteristics as for a flight to Earth orbit.
A very long ignition, with the rocket fixed to the ground and significant resources implemented (in particular on the deluge system) to avoid any damage to the launcher and to the brand new infrastructure. 7 minutes 50 minutes of hydrogen barbecue under the shooting table is a lot, and it is precisely this particular configuration for which the teams have prepared. However, this is the most representative test of a flight that is still possible to carry out… To go further, you have to take off.
A right to make mistakes?
We will nevertheless have to hope for the future of the European flagship that this test broadcast live will be palpably boring. Indeed, after the first few seconds, you shouldn’t want anything spectacular: watching the engine with its orange and bluish flame will be about as exciting as watching a batch of cookies bake. In any case, this is what we should wish for Europeans!
If this test (which the Americans call a “ green run ) fails, then it will be necessary to modify, correct, re-assemble and… retest, which can take months, or even longer in the case of a real fireworks show. An additional delay that no one wants in the European launcher industry, still in the midst of a crisis. However, in the end, we must not forget that this test, like those before it, is there to spot possible errors and avoid a future crash.
Answer Thursday evening, at 9:38 p.m. here… if everything goes as planned.
Source : ESA
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