image source, ESA/CNES/ARIANEROUP
- Author, Jonathan Amos
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Europe’s big new Ariane-6 rocket is set to launch its inaugural flight later.
The vehicle will take off from French Guiana on a demonstration mission to put a clutch of satellites into orbit.
Developed at a cost of €4 billion (£3.4 billion), Ariane-6 is intended to be a launch vehicle that will give European governments and companies access to space independently of the rest of the world.
It already has outstanding launch contracts, but there are concerns that its design could limit future prospects.
Like its Ariane-5 predecessor, the new model is expendable – a new rocket is needed for each mission, while the latest US vehicles are built to be fully or partially reusable.
However, European space officials believe Ariane-6 can carve out a niche for itself.
“This is a big moment,” said European Space Agency (ESA) Director General Josef Aschbacher.
“Everyday life today really depends on information from satellites, from telecommunications and Earth observation to weather forecasting and disaster management. It is inconceivable that Europe could not have guaranteed independent access to space,” he told BBC News.
The departure from the Kourou Equatorial Spaceport is expected to occur during a four-hour window, starting at 15:00 local time (20:00 CET; 19:00 BST).
On the surface, the 6 looks very similar to the old 5, but under the skin it uses the most modern manufacturing techniques (3D printing, friction welding, augmented reality design, etc.) that should lead to faster and cheaper production.
Ariane-6 will operate in two configurations:
- The “62” will feature two solid fuel side boosters for lifting medium payloads
- “64” will have four boosters per strap to lift the heaviest satellites on the market
The base stage is supplemented by a second or upper stage that places the payloads in their precise orbits high above the Earth.
This phase can be stopped and restarted multiple times, which is useful when launching large batches of satellites into a constellation or network. The re-ignition ability also allows the stage to be pulled back to Earth so it doesn’t become a piece of persistent space junk.
Tuesday’s mission will use the Ariane-62 variant. The rocket climbs to an altitude of 580 km before it begins to unload its free-flying cargo.
It is a combination of university and commercial spacecraft. They include two capsules that will try to survive a fiery fall through the atmosphere to reach the Pacific.
One of the capsules, called Nyx Bikini, is a small-scale demonstrator from a Franco-German company that eventually aims to develop a spacecraft that can transport supplies and people to and from space stations in Earth orbit.
Ariane 6 vs Falcon 9
Inaugural flights are always high-risk occasions. It is not uncommon for a new rocket design to fail.
Ariane-5 famously blew itself apart 37 seconds after it left the ground on its debut in 1996. The loss was caused by an error in the control software.
But the revised rocket then returned to dominate the commercial launch market for the world’s largest satellites. This dominance was only broken in 2010 by the American entrepreneur Elon Musk and his reusable Falcon-9 rockets.
The Falcon’s flight rates and prices undermine Ariane-5’s competitiveness.
Europe is moving towards reuse, but the necessary technologies will not be in operation until the 1930s. And Mr. Musk, meanwhile, is unveiling even bigger rockets that promise further reductions in launch costs.
Ariane-6 therefore enters a very challenging environment.
“We can all have our own opinion. I can only confirm again that we have an order book that is full,” said Lucia Linares, who heads space transport strategy at Esa.
“I think the word belongs to the customers: They said Ariane-6 is the answer to their needs.”
image source, ARIANEGROUP
There are launch contracts to carry out the rocket within the first three years of operation. Among them are 18 launches for another American billionaire, Jeff Bezos, who wants to create a constellation of internet satellites he calls Kuiper.
European officials want Ariane-6 to fly about once a month.
If this flight speed can be achieved, the rocket should be able to establish itself, said Pierre Lionnet of the space consultancy ASD Eurospace.
“First we have to make sure there is enough demand from European customers – European institutional. Then Ariane just needs to get a few commercial customers outside of Kuiper. That would give it a market,” he told BBC News.
“But it’s a question of price. If Falcon-9 systematically undercuts Ariane-6’s price offer, there will be a problem.”
Ariane-6 is a project of 13 ESA member states, led by France (56%) and Germany (21%). The 13 partners have pledged subsidy payments of up to €340 million (£295 million) per year to support the early stage of Ariane-6 operations.
The UK was a leading player early in Europe’s launcher program and remains an ESA member state, but its direct involvement in Ariane ended when the Ariane-4 model was retired in 2003.
Several British companies continue to supply components on a commercial basis, and some British-built spacecraft will undoubtedly continue to fly on Ariane.