Transporter into space - Europe's beacon of hope: Ariane 6 rocket about to take off
Ten years Europe had to wait. Now, the new carrier rocket Ariane 6 is supposed to finally take off into space. For Europe, this is about nothing less than having its own access to space - at least for satellites. If the Ariane 6 completes its maiden flight on this Tuesday, Europe will leave behind the heavy crisis of its rocket sector. At least that's the promise of the new rocket, which can no longer keep up commercially with all its competitors.
Exactly one year ago, the Ariane 5, its predecessor, took off for the last time. Since then, Europe has not been able to launch a single satellite alone into space. After the failed commercial launch of Vega C at the end of 2022, the rocket designed for smaller satellites was also grounded. The Sojus-Rocket was also unavailable due to the Russian military conflict in Ukraine. The European Space Agency (ESA) relied partly on the US company SpaceX from Elon Musk.
Accordingly, a successful first flight of the new Ariane, which takes off from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, is crucial for the ESA. ArianeGroup, the rocket manufacturer, calls the first flight the ultimate test flight. However, Toni Tolker-Nielsen, the space transport director of the ESA, is convinced: "Everything has been done to make it a success. If it fails, that would really be bad."
For ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, the Ariane 6 marks a new era of autonomous and versatile space travel. The rocket is significantly cheaper than its predecessors and is supposed to make European space travel more competitive. It can deliver satellites into various orbits and thus also constellations into space. The rocket can be equipped with two or four boosters and transport satellites up to 11.5 tons.
A dozen countries were involved in building the Ariane 6, which is 56 meters high and weighs 540 tons. The upper stage of the rocket was assembled in the Bremen workshop of the space consortium ArianeGroup. The main stage is being built in the French town of Les Mureaux.
Cargo from Germany on the first flight
While France was the largest contributor to the ESA countries in financing the Ariane 6, Germany was the second most significant contributor with around 20%. And on the nearly three-and-a-half-billion-euro first flight, there are also technical passengers from Germany on board: For example, the Nyx Bikini space capsule from The Exploration Company and the OOV-Cube satellite from RapidCubes and Curium One from Planetary Transportation Systems.
But how modern is the Ariane 6, which was decided upon in 2014 and was originally supposed to launch in 2020? According to ESA Director General Aschbacher, it meets the current challenges and is adaptable to future ambitions. However, space expert Martin Tajmar from the TU Dresden has a different opinion: "That can be forgotten." He refers to a product from SpaceX: "In 2015, the Falcon-9 rocket successfully landed again for the first time and effectively founded the era of reusable space travel, where all others then look old-fashioned." However, the lengthy decision-making processes at the ESA cannot be compared to the workings of SpaceX.
The most important thing about Ariane 6, according to Tajmar, is that it will restore access to space, an endeavor that is also one of the original goals of European space exploration. Additionally, it is about offering an alternative, even if it is not the cheapest one. "It's really a challenging environment in which to be," Tajmar remarked. Even the member states of the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (Eumetsat) decided just a few days before the first launch of Ariane 6 to put the Meteosat MTG-S1 weather satellite on a Falcon 9 instead.
Although the Ariane 6 is primarily intended for the European self-demand, according to space experts, there are already orders for the new rocket, including from Amazon. The first commercial flight with an Ariane 6 is expected to still take place before the end of the year. "How we play a role is something else, but we can play a role and we are a partner. That should be worth something to us," Tajmar said.
- The delay of ten years for the Ariane 6's launch into space is finally coming to an end with its anticipated departure this Tuesday.
- Despite the unavailability of the Soyuz rocket due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Europe relied on SpaceX, a carrier rocket from Elon Musk's US company.
- Europe's space sector had been in a heavy crisis, but a successful maiden flight of Ariane 6 could mark its departure from this crisis.
- Unlike its predecessor, the Ariane 5, which took its last flight exactly a year ago, Ariane 6 is significantly cheaper and promises more competitive European space travel.
- The new carrier rocket, Ariane 6, is a bearer of hope for the European Space Agency (ESA) as it can deliver satellites into various orbits and constellations into space.
- The Soyuz rocket and the smaller satellite launcher Vega C were also affected by the crisis, with the latter failing in its commercial launch at the end of 2022.
- The French Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, Germany, and a dozen other European countries contributed to the construction of Ariane 6, which weighs 540 tons and is 56 meters high.
- Germany provided around 20% of the funding for the first launch of Ariane 6 and has technical passengers on board, including the Nyx Bikini space capsule and the OOV-Cube satellite.
- Space expert Martin Tajmar from the TU Dresden recognizes the importance of Ariane 6 in restoring access to space, offering an alternative, and potentially playing a role in future commercial collaborations.
