Europe's Ariane 6 takes rocket science seriously by testing patience before engines
(2023/09/05)
- Reference: 1693931654
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/09/05/ariane_6_test/
- Source link:
Arianespace's delayed Ariane 6 rocket is scheduled to take its next step toward launch today with a brief firing of the main stage Vulcain 2.1 engine.
The latest try-out follows a lengthy and increasingly delayed test campaign leading to a hoped-for launch in 2024. During a briefing, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher declined to be any more specific about the launch date – a prudent move considering the delays suffered by the vehicle to date.
Aschbacher admitted in a recent [1]LinkedIn post that the first launch had slipped into 2024.
[2]
[3]The test at Arianespace's launch site in Korou, French Guiana, will consist of a four-second firing of the main stage engine and form part of a campaign to qualify the launch system as a whole, including its ground installations.
[4]
[5]
Should all go well, another hot fire lasting approximately eight minutes will be conducted on October 3. This will cover the expected flight phase of the core stage.
Other tests planned for the end of 2023 include hot fires of the upper stage at the German aerospace agency's rocket engine test center in Lampoldshausen. These are intended to see how things work in what ESA called "degraded cases."
[6]
Ariane 6 is the replacement for the Ariane 5, which made its final flight in July 2023, carrying two telecommunications satellites into orbit. Its core stage is powered by a liquid-fueled Vulcain 2.1 engine, an upgrade of Ariane 5's Vulcain 2. It also has either two or four P120C strap-on solid boosters.
[7]The only thing launched for Amazon's Project Kuiper is a lawsuit
[8]Space junk targeted for cleanup mission was hit by different space junk, making more space junk
[9]Ariane 5 to take final flight, leaving Europe without its own heavy-lift rocket
[10]The cause of last December's failed satellite launch? Nozzle material, says ESA
A reignitable Vinci engine powers the upper stage. On September 1, engineers at Lampoldshausen completed a hot fire that ESA described as "representative of the inaugural flight."
During a [11]briefing on September 4, Martin Sion, executive chairman of ArianeGroup, boasted: "If this had been a flight, this phase of the flight would have been successful," before cautioning that the data gathered during the test still needed to be thoroughly analyzed.
The development of Ariane 6 has been fraught, and the delays will mean a lengthy gap between the end of the Ariane 5 program and the maiden launch of its successor. During the briefing, Aschbacher put the current cost at "around" €4 billion ($4.3 billion).
Sion added that the Ariane 6 delays had created significant overheads for ArianeGroup – Arianespace is a launch service provider – and said that in the contract with ESA, "we bear our risks." He did not, however, put a figure on those costs caused by the delays.
[12]
Ariane 6 [13]was supposed to have had its maiden flight in 2020 and achieved "full operational capability" in 2023. It has managed neither so far, leaving Europe with a significant gap in its heavy lift capabilities. The overall cost at a 2016 program review was €3 billion ($3.2 billion). ®
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[1] https://www.linkedin.com/posts/josef-aschbacher-74430a6_here-below-please-find-the-updated-schedule-activity-7094589000102928386-7Y_-/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZPelAqjwH@vj9SQDbkN55AAAAcE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Ariane_6_joint_update_report_4_September_2023
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZPelAqjwH@vj9SQDbkN55AAAAcE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZPelAqjwH@vj9SQDbkN55AAAAcE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZPelAqjwH@vj9SQDbkN55AAAAcE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2023/09/04/project_kuiper_amazon_lawsuit/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/23/space_debris_targeted_for_groundbreaking/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2023/07/04/ariane_5_final_launch/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2023/03/06/nozzle_material_determined_cause_of/
[11] https://youtu.be/kqCb_kArKRE?si=Sb0pV873Ii7yQOeD
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZPelAqjwH@vj9SQDbkN55AAAAcE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Ariane_6_on_track
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The latest try-out follows a lengthy and increasingly delayed test campaign leading to a hoped-for launch in 2024. During a briefing, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher declined to be any more specific about the launch date – a prudent move considering the delays suffered by the vehicle to date.
Aschbacher admitted in a recent [1]LinkedIn post that the first launch had slipped into 2024.
[2]
[3]The test at Arianespace's launch site in Korou, French Guiana, will consist of a four-second firing of the main stage engine and form part of a campaign to qualify the launch system as a whole, including its ground installations.
[4]
[5]
Should all go well, another hot fire lasting approximately eight minutes will be conducted on October 3. This will cover the expected flight phase of the core stage.
Other tests planned for the end of 2023 include hot fires of the upper stage at the German aerospace agency's rocket engine test center in Lampoldshausen. These are intended to see how things work in what ESA called "degraded cases."
[6]
Ariane 6 is the replacement for the Ariane 5, which made its final flight in July 2023, carrying two telecommunications satellites into orbit. Its core stage is powered by a liquid-fueled Vulcain 2.1 engine, an upgrade of Ariane 5's Vulcain 2. It also has either two or four P120C strap-on solid boosters.
[7]The only thing launched for Amazon's Project Kuiper is a lawsuit
[8]Space junk targeted for cleanup mission was hit by different space junk, making more space junk
[9]Ariane 5 to take final flight, leaving Europe without its own heavy-lift rocket
[10]The cause of last December's failed satellite launch? Nozzle material, says ESA
A reignitable Vinci engine powers the upper stage. On September 1, engineers at Lampoldshausen completed a hot fire that ESA described as "representative of the inaugural flight."
During a [11]briefing on September 4, Martin Sion, executive chairman of ArianeGroup, boasted: "If this had been a flight, this phase of the flight would have been successful," before cautioning that the data gathered during the test still needed to be thoroughly analyzed.
The development of Ariane 6 has been fraught, and the delays will mean a lengthy gap between the end of the Ariane 5 program and the maiden launch of its successor. During the briefing, Aschbacher put the current cost at "around" €4 billion ($4.3 billion).
Sion added that the Ariane 6 delays had created significant overheads for ArianeGroup – Arianespace is a launch service provider – and said that in the contract with ESA, "we bear our risks." He did not, however, put a figure on those costs caused by the delays.
[12]
Ariane 6 [13]was supposed to have had its maiden flight in 2020 and achieved "full operational capability" in 2023. It has managed neither so far, leaving Europe with a significant gap in its heavy lift capabilities. The overall cost at a 2016 program review was €3 billion ($3.2 billion). ®
Get our [14]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.linkedin.com/posts/josef-aschbacher-74430a6_here-below-please-find-the-updated-schedule-activity-7094589000102928386-7Y_-/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZPelAqjwH@vj9SQDbkN55AAAAcE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Ariane_6_joint_update_report_4_September_2023
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZPelAqjwH@vj9SQDbkN55AAAAcE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZPelAqjwH@vj9SQDbkN55AAAAcE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZPelAqjwH@vj9SQDbkN55AAAAcE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2023/09/04/project_kuiper_amazon_lawsuit/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/23/space_debris_targeted_for_groundbreaking/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2023/07/04/ariane_5_final_launch/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2023/03/06/nozzle_material_determined_cause_of/
[11] https://youtu.be/kqCb_kArKRE?si=Sb0pV873Ii7yQOeD
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZPelAqjwH@vj9SQDbkN55AAAAcE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Ariane_6_on_track
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Meanwhile…..
Justthefacts
Ceres-1 launched today, the nineth successive successful launch for Galactic Energy. Commercial launch of four more Tianqi satellites. Galactic Energy only *started* in 2018, first launch in 2020. By next year, they aim to be flying Pallas, their first reusable stack.
https://spacenews.com/chinese-ceres-1-rocket-reaches-orbit-with-first-sea-launch/
Ariane 6 development started back in 2015, based only incrementally on Ariane 5, and still today already 3 years late, have failed to run their first hot-fire test of just 4 seconds in length.
EU Commission need to get out the way with their power-struggle coup that destroyed ESA’s capability to operate effectively, and turned Ariane and Safran into a global embarrassment.
ISRO can land on the moon for $75M, while EU can’t even catch a ride for $1.3bn for their antiquated rover.
"Aschbacher admitted in a recent LinkedIn post"
Pascal Monett
What a shame to have to use LinkedIn to publish anything about Ariane.
Can't you use your own site for official communication ? Is that not worthy enough anymore to communicate with people who actually give a damn ?
When are you going to start posting on sewer-data.whogivesashit.whocares ?
How's about going back to official channels ?
Does anyone know what official means anymore ?
Beancounters Concerned ?
We can and should retain Ariane V launch capability. Damn the funny "plans".
Ariane V was a great success after one loss due to lack of HIL test.