Ariane 6 passes the hot run test
The new European launcher Ariane 6 has been under development for almost ten years. Now the Vulcain 2.1 engine has also passed a long-term test and the first flight is drawing ever closer. However, further analysis is still required beforehand.
The long-term hot-running test of the European Ariane 6 launcher at the Kourou space center in French Guiana has been successful. During the large-scale dress rehearsal for the first flight planned for 2024, the Vulcain 2.1 engine was successfully ignited on Thursday and ran for around eight minutes, according to a statement from the rocket's manufacturer, ArianeGroup.
This decisive step "brings us a step closer to the maiden flight of Ariane 6", said Martin Sion, CEO of the company. However, further tests still need to be carried out before the maiden flight, in particular to "prove the fault tolerance", he added.
"The teams have now gone through all phases of the launcher's flight without it leaving Earth," said Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA).
Maiden flight postponed by four years
The full results of the test will not be announced until November 30, when all parameters have been analyzed. "The fundamental question will be whether we need to repeat the test," explained Domenico Resta, who is responsible for the technology of the Ariane 6 launch system at ESA.
The test had originally been scheduled for October 3, but had to be postponed due to technical problems. The development of Ariane 6 began in 2014. The maiden flight of the new rocket, originally scheduled for 2020, had already been postponed by two years. The successor to Ariane 5 is intended to make European space travel more independent.
Following the successful dress rehearsal, it's crucial to conduct a healing test on the Ariane 6 launcher to ensure its robustness and fault tolerance, preparing it for its first educational journey into space.
Once the healing test is successfully completed, the European Education sector will be eagerly awaiting the first flight of Ariane 6, marking a significant milestone in European space travel's autonomy and independence.
Source: www.ntv.de
