Space travel - Minor incident: Ariane 6 maiden flight ends unscheduled
The end of the maiden flight of the new European carrier rocket Ariane 6 did not go as planned. However, the participants consider the flight a complete success. A backup engine in the upper stage ignited initially but then stopped, as ArianeGroup CEO Martin Sion stated. "We have an anomaly that we still don't understand" - specifically, why the backup engine stopped. "But the rest of the mission went according to plan."
Initially, the rocket was supposed to bring 17 payloads into space during its maiden flight. The upper stage was supposed to burn up on its way back to Earth. Since the backup engine stopped, the Vinci engine of the upper stage did not ignite again to send the two remaining passengers into space. They will now remain in the upper stage, which will remain in space.
Sion reported that during the flight, there was first a launch phase during which several satellites were delivered. "Everything went perfectly." Then there was a demonstration phase to see how the upper stage of the rocket behaves in microgravity, a state in which gravity does not or only very weakly acts.
Sion commented on the incident: "It's unfortunate, but that's also the reason we conduct a technical demonstration, because there are things we can't test on the ground." With the test phase at the end of the maiden flight, they wanted to collect as much information as possible.
The necessary data to clarify the incident in more detail are not yet available. As soon as it is clear what exactly happened, the public will be informed, Sion assured.
The Ariane 6 is the successor model of the Ariane 5, which was in use from 1996 to summer 2023. It is supposed to launch satellites for commercial and public customers into space and is significantly cheaper than its predecessors.
The maiden flight of the Ariane 6 carrier rocket was scheduled to take place in Kourou, France, marking Europe's entry into a new era of space travel. Despite the initial issue with the backup engine in the upper stage, the expert team considered the first flight a success, as the main objectives were achieved. The Ariane 6 is designed to lower the cost of space travel, making it more accessible for both commercial and public customers. Despite the unexpected event, the team remains committed to collecting all necessary data to fully understand the anomaly and ensure future flights are even more successful.
