Space travel - Ariane 6 flies into space - an almost complete success
European space experts evaluate the maiden flight of the new Ariane 6 rocket as a success, even though the re-ignition of one booster in the upper part did not work as planned. With it, Europe now has the capability to launch satellites, probes, and other experiments into space once again.
The rocket took off on Tuesday at 21:00 hours CET from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, under the gaze of numerous participants and space enthusiasts. An hour later, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced the success of the flight after the rocket had deployed several satellites.
Upper stage cannot burn off as planned and remains in space
At the end of the flight, a test phase was supposed to see a rocket engine in the upper part of the rocket re-ignite and essentially re-enter the Earth's atmosphere, burning off, and reducing space debris. However, the re-ignition did not go as planned, leaving the so-called upper stage, along with the payload stack containing the satellites, in space. Additionally, two spacecraft, which were also supposed to re-enter the atmosphere, were not jettisoned. They will now remain with the upper stage in space.
"It's a great surprise that so little didn't work," assessed independent space expert Martin Tajmar from the TU Dresden about the incident. Despite this, the overall flight should be considered a "great success," as 17 of the 15 payloads, including satellites, had reached their intended destinations. However, the re-entry experiments could not be carried out, Tajmar, who is not involved in the Ariane project, explained.
Things can go wrong during testing
Some things like this re-ignition cannot be tested properly on Earth, Tajmar explained. On the ground, there is Earth's gravitational force, but in space, there isn't. "The fuel then swirls around a little - things that were not foreseen." Of course, there is no one in space to intervene.
Chiara Manfletti, Professor for Space Propulsion at the TU Munich, also considers the mission a great success. "Everything went smoothly for a first flight," she said. At the end, something was still being tested, making it another aspect of the flight.
ESA celebrates
"Today is a great day for celebration," ESA head Josef Aschbacher remarked. He was personally relieved. "We're writing history today." The entire flight of the 56-meter-tall and 540-tonne rocket was scheduled for just under three hours.
Getting Ariane 6 out of the crisis
Europe's space sector has been working towards the maiden flight of its new Ariane 6 rocket for months. For the continent, much is at stake. The hopeful Ariane 6 is intended to re-establish a self-owned access to space and secure independence.
Since almost exactly a year ago, when the last Ariane 5, the predecessor of the Ariane 6, was launched into space, Europe had no longer had its own transporters to bring larger satellites into space. Aschbacher spoke of a major problem.
Many first launches do not succeed
There were issues even with the smaller satellites. The first commercial flight of the Vega C failed at the end of 2022 following a successful initial launch. A new Vega C flight is scheduled for November. The Esa has shifted towards Falcon-9 rockets of the US company SpaceX for satellite launches.
Spaceflight expert Tajmar reminded us that Elon Musk also launches numerous rockets until they function correctly. "Even he knows that you can't test everything on the ground, you test it in flight," he said. It is likely that everything will go as planned during the second flight of the Ariane 6, he estimates.
A Successful Start is Just the Beginning
With the first launch of the Ariane 6, Aschbacher is clear: "Europe is back." We're out of the crisis, he declared, but he also added: "This is just the first step, we have a lot of work ahead of us." Another Ariane 6 launch is scheduled at the end of the year.
DLR Chairwoman Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla praised: "We have managed to create a rocket here that can be built again and again in a kind of rocket factory." According to Rolf Densing, head of the Esa control center in Darmstadt, industrial capacities are sufficient for up to eleven launches per year. The CEO of rocket manufacturer Arianespace, Stéphane Israël, said that they plan to send six Ariane 6s into space in the coming year.
An Unexpected Event
Exactly what happened during the maiden flight is now being investigated. The auxiliary engine of the upper stage did ignite initially but then stopped, as ArianeGroup CEO Martin Sion explained. With the re-ignition at the end of the first flight, they wanted to collect as much data as possible, he said. They wanted to observe how the upper stage of the rocket behaves in a state called microgravity, where gravity has no effect or only very weak effect.
"It doesn't have to be perfect to the last detail"
Government coordinator for aviation and space Anna Christmann also sees no problem in the incident. "I think that's just what such technologies as space travel are all about - you have to try these things out," she said. "And it doesn't always have to be perfect, but from that, the Ariane 6 will become even better in the next launches." Overall, she finds: "The launch sequence ran very smoothly."
Esas praise for the Ariane 6's flexibility
The Ariane 6 had to wait ten years for its first launch. It is the successor model to the Ariane 5, which was in use from 1996 to summer 2023. The rocket is designed to launch satellites for commercial and public clients into space and is significantly cheaper than its predecessors.
Depending on the mission, the flexible Ariane 6 can be equipped with various engines and carry different payloads in a smaller or larger upper stage. It can transport up to 21.6 tons of cargo - depending on how far the satellites need to be taken into space.
A unique feature of the Ariane 6 is its ability to launch satellites into different orbits. This is achieved with a upper stage engine called Vinci, which can be re-ignited multiple times. It was assembled in the Bremen workshop of rocket manufacturer ArianeGroup. According to Walther Pelzer, General Director of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Germany is responsible for the most significant innovation here.
Expert considers rocket not particularly modern
Opinions differ on the modernity of the rocket. Esa-CEO Aschbacher is convinced that the rocket meets the current challenges. However, spaceflight expert Tajmar answers the question of whether the rocket is up-to-date with a "That can be forgotten." Tajmar's gaze then goes to the USA and SpaceX: "The first successful landing of the Falcon-9 rocket in 2015 marked the beginning of the era of reusable spaceflight, where everyone else then looks old-fashioned."
Successor rocket is to be reusable
Incidentally: According to Esa Space Transport Director Toni Tolker-Nielsen, the next rocket, which will eventually replace the Ariane 6, is also to be reusable. The Esa currently plans to use the Ariane 6 at least until the mid-2030s. Tajmar means, then we would be 20 years behind. However, the lengthy decision-making processes at the Esa cannot be compared to the workings of SpaceX.
Germany important for rocket development
A dozen countries were involved in building the Ariane 6. The upper stage was assembled in Bremen, the tanks of the upper stage and parts of the engine came from Augsburg or Ottobrunn. The Vinci engine was tested in Lampoldshausen, Baden-Württemberg. After France, Germany is the most significant contributor among Esa countries and has shouldered approximately 20% of the around four billion Euros cost of the rocket.
- The Ariane 6 rocket, a substantial contribution from Europe, took off from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
- TU Dresden's independent space expert, Martin Tajmar, considered the flight a tremendous success despite the issue with the upper stage's re-ignition.
- The re-ignition of the booster in the upper part of the Ariane 6 didn't go as planned in Kourou, leaving the upper stage and the satellites in space.
- The DLR Chairwoman, Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla, praised the rocket as one that can be built repeatedly, with industrial capabilities allowing up to eleven launches per year.
- Following the first launch, ESA head Josef Aschbacher proclaimed that Europe is "back," having emerged from the crisis, but acknowledging the significant work ahead.
- spaceflight expert Tajmar acknowledged that SpaceX's Elon Musk also encounters issues during the testing phase, using numerous rockets until they function correctly.
- The Ariane 6 rocket, a successor to the Ariane 5, is designed to carry different payloads and engines, making it a flexible tool for various space missions.
- The French Guiana spaceport in Kourou houses SpaceX, alongside ESA, and supports their missions in space travel.
- The Ariane 6's unique feature is its Vinci engine, responsible for the rocket's ability to launch satellites into different orbits, with Germany playing a significant role in its development at DLR's Bremen workshop.
