Space travel - Goodbye crisis? Europe's beacon of hope, Ariane 6, is to be launched into space
After ten years of waiting, the new European carrier rocket Ariane 6 is expected to fly for the first time into space and free Europe's space sector from the crisis of its launcher segment. The maiden flight is scheduled to take off from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on Tuesday at 20.00 UTC.
The 56-meter-tall and 540-tonne rocket then has a nearly three-hour flight ahead. On board are also technical passengers from Germany: The Ariane carries, among other things, the Nyx Bikini capsule from The Exploration Company and the OOV-Cube and Curium One satellites from RapidCubes and Planetary Transportation Systems into space.
Weather expert sees good chances for Tuesday's launch
The weather expert at the spaceport, Anne-Sophie Chassagnou from the French space agency Cnes, is optimistic that the launch on Tuesday could succeed. "The trend is excellent." The expert checks if thunderstorms or strong winds could obstruct the flight. The next weather update is planned for 11:00 UTC, before the working platform, which currently surrounds the Ariane 6, is removed to free the rocket.
For the first launch, helium is already being filled into a tank in the main stage. Five hours before the planned launch time, the boosters will also be filled.
The Ariane 6: a modern rocket?
The Ariane 6 is the successor model of the Ariane 5, which was in use from 1996 to summer 2023. It is intended to launch satellites for commercial and public customers into space and is significantly cheaper than its predecessors.
The development of the rocket was decided on almost a decade ago. The director-general of the European Space Agency Esa, Josef Aschbacher, is convinced that the rocket still meets the current challenges. The Esa praises the Ariane 6 as modular and flexible. Depending on the mission, it can be equipped with two or four boosters and house different payloads in a smaller or longer upper part.
Germany makes significant contributions to Ariane 6
According to Walther Pelzer, the managing director of the German Aerospace Center at the German Aerospace Center DLR, Germany makes decisive contributions to the innovations of the rocket in Germany. "Germany is responsible for the reusable upper stage of the Ariane 6, which was developed and manufactured in Germany."
The advantage of the reusable Vinci engine of the upper stage is that the rocket can deliver satellites into different orbits and also constellations into space.
Four German locations work on new rocket
The upper stage is being assembled at the Bremen workshop of the space consortium ArianeGroup. The tanks of the upper stage and parts of the engine come from Augsburg or Ottobrunn. The Vinci engine was tested in Lampoldshausen, Baden-Württemberg.
Financially, Germany is also heavily involved in the Ariane 6 and, after France, is the largest contributor among the Esa countries. The Federal Republic has approximately 20% of the around four billion Euro costs of the rocket. In total, about a dozen countries were involved in building the rocket.
Expert: Ariane 6 not yet up to par
Spaceflight expert Martin Tajmar from TU Dresden states nevertheless that the Ariane 6 is not on par with the times despite the advancements compared to its predecessor. As early as 2015, the US company SpaceX initiated the era of reusable spaceflight with the Falcon-9-Rocket.
ESA space transport director Toni Tolker-Nielsen at least hints: "The next rocket that will replace the Ariane 6 will be a reusable rocket." The ESA currently plans to use its new carrier rocket at least until the mid-2030s.
Europe is determined to emerge from the crisis
Spaceflight expert Tajmar emphasizes, however, that the central task of the Ariane 6 is not initially to keep pace commercially with the competitors. The primary objective, in his view, is to secure Europe's independence by providing Europe with its own access to space.
Originally, the Ariane 6 was supposed to have launched into space four years ago. The last Ariane 5 lifted off from Earth almost exactly one year ago. Since then, Europe has had no means of its own to launch larger satellites into space and is in a deep crisis in its rocket sector. In part, the ESA has resorted to Falcon-9 rockets from the US company SpaceX.
Problems also with rocket for smaller satellites
The crisis is all the more devastating for Europe as it currently has no access of its own to space for smaller satellites. In December 2022, the first commercial launch of Vega C failed. The rocket has been on the ground since then. It is scheduled to take off for the first time in November.
According to Pelzer, the first launch is both strategically and industrially very important for Europe and Germany. And while ArianeGroup cautiously says that the maiden flight is essentially also the ultimate test flight, Tolker-Nielsen from the ESA is certain: "Everything has been done to make it a success. If it fails, that would be really bad."
Information about the Ariane 6
- The upcoming flight of the Ariane 6, Europe's new carrier rocket, aims to alleviate the crisis in its launcher segment and reinforce Europe's space sector.
- Scheduled for takeoff from Kourou, French Guiana, the Ariane 6 carries German-built satellites, including the Nyx Bikini capsule and OOV-Cube and Curium One satellites.
- France, along with Germany as the largest contributor among ESA countries, has invested significantly in the development and construction of the Ariane 6.
- The reusable upper stage of the Ariane 6, a key innovation, is responsible for delivering satellites into various orbits, making the rocket a flexible and modular solution for various space missions.
- Spaceflight expert Martin Tajmar acknowledges the advancements of the Ariane 6 compared to its predecessor but argues that it still lags behind, given the reusable rockets introduced by SpaceX in 2015.
- The successful launch of the Ariane 6 is crucial for Europe, as it will provide the continent with autonomous access to space and secure its independence in the realm of space travel.
