Space travel - Europe's beacon of hope takes off: Ariane 6 flies into space
Waiting has an end: The new European carrier rocket Ariane 6 has taken off for the first time into space, potentially saving European space travel from a crisis with its carrier rockets. The rocket lifted off at around 9:00 PM Central European Time from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, under the gaze of numerous space enthusiasts.
"I am very tense, but also really confident that everything will go well," said the head of the European Space Agency (ESA), Josef Aschbacher, to the German Press Agency just a few minutes before takeoff. He had his thumbs pressed together.
The entire flight of the 56-meter-tall and 540-tonne rocket was expected to last approximately three hours. Shortly after takeoff, as the separation of the boosters was announced, jubilation and applause broke out on the terraces at the European Spaceport.
Getting out of the crisis with Ariane 6
For months, Europe has been working towards the maiden flight of its new rocket. For the continent, much is at stake. The hopeful Ariane 6 is meant to establish a new independent access to space and secure it.
Since the last Ariane 5, the predecessor of Ariane 6, was launched into space almost exactly a year ago, Europe had no more of its own transporters to bring satellites into space. The ESA acknowledged a serious crisis in the European carrier rocket sector, with Aschbacher speaking of a major problem.
Not only could Europe not launch its large satellites on its own. For months, no launches of smaller satellites were possible. Since a successful first launch of the Vega C failed at the end of 2022, a rocket of this type is only expected to fly again in November. In the meantime, the ESA has had to rely on Falcon-9 rockets from SpaceX for satellite launches.
A successful first flight is just the beginning
If the first flight of the Ariane 6 is successful, "then we're out of the crisis," Aschbacher said. He also explained, "This is just the first step; we have a lot of work ahead of us." The Space Transport Director of the ESA Toni Tolker-Nielsen sees in a successful maiden flight the beginning of a comeback. It will then be necessary to ramp up production capacity and come to a stable launch rhythm. The order book for the new rocket is already well filled with around 30 flights.
ESA praises Ariane 6 for its flexibility
Ariane 6 had to wait ten years for its first launch. The Ariane 6 is the successor model to the Ariane 5, which was in operation from 1996 to summer 2023. It is intended to carry satellites for commercial and public clients into space and is significantly cheaper than its predecessors.
The rocket is flexible and modular. It can be equipped with two or four boosters depending on the mission and can accommodate different payloads in a smaller or longer upper stage. It can transport up to 11.5 tons of total cargo to geostationary satellites and 21.6 tons in lower orbit.
One of the most significant advancements, however, is that the Ariane 6 can deliver satellites to different orbits. As a result, it can also launch constellations into space.
Possible is this due to the reusable Vinci-Thrust engine of the upper stage mounted at ArianeGroup's Bremen rocket builder. According to Walther Pelzer, General Director of the German Space Agency at the German Aerospace Center, Germany has taken responsibility for the most significant innovation.
Experts debate how modern the rocket is, whose upper stage is supposed to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere on its return to prevent becoming space debris. Esa chief Aschbacher is convinced that the rocket meets the current challenges. However, space travel expert Martin Tajmar from TU Dresden answers the question of whether the rocket is up-to-date with: "One can forget that."
Tajmar's gaze 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 space travel, where others then had to look old-fashioned."
However, Tolker-Nielsen states that the rocket that will replace the Ariane 6 is also supposed to be reusable. The Esa plans to use the Ariane 6 at least until the mid-2030s. Tajmar means: "Yes, they want to be as far as the Falcon 9 in 2035." Then we would be 20 years behind. But: the rather lengthy decision-making processes at the Esa cannot be compared to the workings of SpaceX.
New insights through first flight hoped for
The first flight is still an important milestone for the Esa. The first commercial flight is expected to take off at the end of the year. The first major Esa mission on board an Ariane 6 is scheduled to start in the middle of the coming year.
For ArianeGroup, the start therefore offers the opportunity to learn more. Franck Huiban, head of civil programs at ArianeGroup, says: "The first flight is a unique opportunity to see what we can do with this rocket."
On board the first rocket are also German technical passengers: The Ariane carries, among other things, the Nyx Bikini space capsule from The Exploration Company and the OOV-Cube satellite from RapidCubes and the Curium One satellite from Planetary Transportation Systems into space.
Germany important for development of the rocket
A dozen countries were involved in building the Ariane 6. The upper stage was mounted 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 financial contributor among Esa countries and has contributed approximately 20 percent of the around four billion Euro costs of the rocket.
- Austria's TU Dresden space travel expert Martin Tajmar questioned the Ariane 6's modernity, referring to SpaceX's reusable Falcon-9 rocket.
- The first successful landing of a Falcon-9 rocket in 2015 marked the beginning of the era of reusable space travel, making others appear outdated.
- ESA's Space Transport Director Toni Tolker-Nielsen believes a successful Ariane 6 maiden flight marks the beginning of a comeback.
- Ariane 6 is expected to carry satellites for commercial and public clients into space and is significantly cheaper than its predecessors.
- France and Germany are the most significant financial contributors among ESA countries, with Germany contributing around 20% of the rocket's approximately 4 billion Euro cost.
- Europe relied on SpaceX's Falcon-9 rockets for satellite launches due to a serious crisis in the European carrier rocket sector, as acknowledged by Aschbacher.
- The Fenrir engine, developed by Safran in France, powers the Ariane 6's first stage.
- If the first flight of the Ariane 6 is successful, European space travel may be saved from a crisis in its carrier rocket sector.
- The mission control for the Ariane 6 is located in Toulouse, France, with the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, serving as its launch site.
