Ariane 6 - European launcher to take off for the first time on Tuesday
Europa has once again its own carrier rocket: The new Ariane 6 is scheduled to take off from Kourou in French Guiana on Tuesday for its maiden flight – four years later than originally planned. This means European space travel has an independent access to space once again. The Ariane 6 is intended to promote satellites into orbit for commercial and public clients.
The launch is scheduled for 3 PM local time (8 PM CET). The European Space Agency (ESA) is optimistic that the launch will proceed smoothly. Last June, final issues were resolved during a test run. "It ran very well, like a Swiss watch," says Toni Tolker-Nielsen, ESA director for space transport. "There is no critical point that questions the launch date."
The predecessor model of the rocket, Ariane 5, was launched for the last time in June 2023 after 27 years in service. Since then, the Europeans have not been able to launch satellites independently: Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, they no longer have access to the Russian carrier rocket Soyuz, which had been launched from French Guiana for ten years. And the Vega C rocket is still grounded since the end of 2022. The delay of the originally planned 2020 maiden flight of the Ariane 6 worsened the crisis.
Ariane 6 crucial for independent access to space
"Everything that could go wrong, went wrong," laments ESA head Josef Aschbacher. "That's why the Ariane 6 is crucial for Europe, which absolutely needs an independent access to space." The coordinator for German aerospace policy in the federal government, Anna Christmann, also emphasizes: "An independent European access to space is not only essential for our daily lives but also for economy and science."
The Ariane 6 project was decided upon in 2014 and cost 4.5 billion Euros. Germany is the second largest contributor to the Ariane-6 program of the ESA after France.
The new rocket will carry 18 "passengers" on board at its first launch: micro satellites from universities and scientific experiments, including some from Germany. "This first flight is an important moment for us all. It's not just the end of development efforts, but also the beginning of the operational phase," says Franck Huiban, head of civil programs at Arianegroup, which built the rocket.
Ariane 6 will bring satellites into several hundred kilometers of altitude, but also into a geostationary orbit at 36,000 kilometers altitude. At this altitude, the satellite's speed matches the Earth's rotation, so observers on the ground have the impression that the satellite is not moving. The Vinci engine of the rocket can be restarted multiple times to release multiple satellites at different points in space.
First commercial flight planned for end of the year, 14 more in the following two years
The first commercial launch of Ariane 6 is planned for the end of the year, with 14 more in the following two years. "Ariane 5 was designed for up to seven starts per year, while Ariane 6 is designed for twelve starts per year," says Huiban. In the first phase, nine launches per year are planned. Ariane is far from competing with the US company SpaceX, which dominates the competition and conducted 14 launches of the Falcon 9 rocket in May alone.
The space industry is booming. According to the consulting firm Novaspace, 822 billion Dollars (767 billion Euros) will be spent on rockets, satellites, and other parts of the space industry by 2032. Last year, it was still 508 billion Dollars.
However, the growing demand does not suffice to make Ariane 6 profitable. Only the first 15 flights have been financed so far. However, the 22 ESA member states have declared their readiness to contribute up to 340 million Euros annually to secure the 16th to 42nd flight of Ariane 6 - in return for an eleven percent price reduction from the industry.
Ariane 6 already has 30 orders, 18 of which are from Amazon, to launch satellites for its Kuiper project for satellite-based internet connections into space. "This is absolutely unprecedented for a rocket that has not yet flown," says Stephane Israël, CEO of Arianespace, which is responsible for marketing and operating the rocket. However, just a few days before the first launch, the operator of European weather satellites, Eumetsat, announced that it would opt for SpaceX instead.
The Ariane 6, scheduled to take off from Kourou in French Guiana, is a European carrier rocket designed to promote satellites into orbit for commercial and public clients. This is significant as it provides Europe with an independent access to space, a necessity highlighted by the unavailability of Russian carrier rocket Soyuz and the grounding of Vega C rocket.
The ESA is optimistic about the Ariane 6 maiden flight, with Toni Tolker-Nielsen, ESA director for space transport, stating that the test run last June ran like a Swiss watch. The Ariane 6 rocket is a crucial component for Europe's space travel, as acknowledged by ESA head Josef Aschbacher and German aerospace policy coordinator Anna Christmann.
Despite the delays and challenges, the first commercial flight of Ariane 6 is planned for the end of the year, with 14 more in the following two years. This increased capacity is essential in the booming space industry, with 822 billion Dollars expected to be spent on rockets, satellites, and other space-related industries by 2032.
