Ariane 6 will launch into the sky on July 9, 2024 from the European Spaceport in French Guiana. Credit: ESA – S. Corvaja
Ariane 6, Europe’s new launch vehicle, made its inaugural flight from the European Spaceport in French Guiana on July 9 at 16:00 local time (20:00 BST, 21:00 CET).
Ariane 6 is the latest in Europe’s Ariane rocket series, taking over from Ariane 5, and features a modular and versatile design that can launch missions from low Earth orbit and beyond into deep space.
“A brand new rocket is not launched often and success is far from guaranteed. I am honored to have witnessed this historic moment when Europe’s new generation of the Ariane family has launched – successfully – the effective renewal of Europe’s access to space,” said ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher.
Ariane 6 will launch into the sky on July 9, 2024. Credit: ESA – M. Pédoussaut
The triumph of European space innovation
“The inaugural launch is a huge undertaking by thousands of people who have worked tirelessly for years. Seeing it work brilliantly on the first try is a testament to their dedication and a showcase of European excellence in engineering and technology. Heartfelt thanks to the ESA, CNES, ArianeGroup and Arianespace teams for their hard work to get to this point. I also want to sincerely thank our member states for enabling and supporting the Ariane 6 program along the way. It’s not always easy, but the persistence shown paid off handsomely today.”
Designated VA262, this inaugural flight is a demonstration flight designed to demonstrate Ariane 6’s capabilities and prowess in escaping Earth’s gravity and operating in space. Still, it had several passengers on board.
Ariane 6 payload installation in the containment hall at the European Spaceport in French Guiana, June 4, 2024. From established players like NASA to students designing their first-ever satellite, these missions will measure gamma rays, observe wildlife , to test self-repairing solar cells. , confirm the theory of black body radiation and others. There’s a smart farm satellite, a radio beacon demonstrator, experiments that will stay attached to the rocket’s payload “adapter,” and even capsules designed to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere to test new materials — Ariane 6’s maiden flight will be the first to be charged technologies. payloads are sent on their way to space. Credit: ESA/ArianeGroup/Arianespace/CNES
Successful deployment and future prospects
At 21:06 BST, 22:06 CEST, one hour after launch, the first set of satellites aboard Ariane 6 was released from the upper stage and placed into orbit 600 km above Earth. Included on this inaugural flight were satellites and experiments from various space agencies, companies, research institutes, universities and young professionals.
In addition to the rocket, the liftoff demonstrated launch pad operation and ground operations at the European spaceport. A new custom-built dedicated launch zone was built by the French space agency CNES and enables a faster turnaround for Ariane launches.
Ariane 6 seen from the sky just hours before it took off for the first time from the European Spaceport in French Guiana. With the 90 meter tall, 8,200 ton mobile building rolled back, refueling is ready to begin. Credit: ESA – S. Corvaja
Building momentum for Ariane 6
On the occasion of the launch, Philippe Baptiste, Director General of CNES, said: “With this first successful launch of Ariane 6, Europe has finally renewed its capacity to access space. Apart from the great emotions I feel right now, my first thoughts go to all the teams in Kourou, Paris, Vernon, Les Mureaux, Toulouse, Bremen, Lampoldshausen, Liège, Barcelona, Colleferro, Zurich and anywhere else in Europe who have done this. success possible. I would like to acknowledge the commitment of the employees of CNES, ESA, ArianeGroup, Arianespace and our subcontractors. The last few months have been intense and I would like to thank them all. Europe can be proud of its space program, Europe can be proud of its knowledge and expertise. Let’s prepare the future of launch vehicles and space together.”
Artist’s impression of European space transport systems. Ariane 6 (A62) is shown here with two launch vehicles in Flight FM1 configuration to be operated from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Ariane 6 provides a modular architecture using either two boosters (Ariane 62) or four boosters (Ariane 64), depending on the required performance. Credit: ESA – D. Ducros
Ariane 6 was built by prime contractor and design authority ArianeGroup. “With the successful first flight of Ariane 6, the European space industry has moved into a new era,” said Martin Sion, CEO of ArianeGroup. “This historic start demonstrates the unwavering commitment of our teams and partners, to whom I would like to sincerely thank for this success, which is reflected throughout the European industry. Seeing Europe’s new launch vehicle lift off into space marks the culmination of an exceptional technical and technological adventure and the beginning of a long history of Ariane 6 operations. Additional flight models are already in production and the second model stages will be sent to the Guyana Space Center this fall for Ariane 6’s first commercial flight.
Ariane 6’s first flight will have three phases, each of which will demonstrate different capabilities of the launch vehicle:
Phase 1 (Events 1-5): From Earth to Orbit
Ariane 6’s first stage of flight will lift the rocket off Earth and into space by thrust from a main stage powered by a Vulcain engine along with the power of two powerful P120C boosters. Phase 1 involves separation of the main stage from the upper stage and the first boost of the upper stage’s Vinci engine, which will put it and its passengers into an elliptical orbit 300 x 700 km above Earth.
Phase 2 (Events 6-9): Upper stage re-ignition and satellite deployment
In the next phase, Ariane 6’s newest feature is being tested: upper stage re-ignition. In Phase 2, the Vinci engine will restart and change Ariane 6’s orbit from elliptical to circular. This will be followed by the deployment of the rocket’s eight satellites and the activation of its five on-board experiments.
Phase 3 (events 9-12): Tech demonstrations, deorbiting and capsule separation
The final phase of Ariane 6’s inaugural flight will be pushing the cryogenic upper stage to its limits and verifying its ability to operate in microgravity conditions. The final stage will initiate a controlled deorbit of the upper stage back through Earth’s atmosphere over the South Pacific ‘NEMO point’ to prevent it from becoming space debris. Moments later, the two reentry capsules on board separate from the upper stage and all three descend safely back home.
Credit: ESA
Continuation of the Journey
By putting satellites into orbit, Ariane 6 has proven it can successfully launch its payload into space, but ground control has more in store for its inaugural flight. Over the next hour, Ariane 6’s upper stage will once again demonstrate that it can restart its Vinci engine with a new auxiliary propulsion unit. This restart capability will allow Ariane 6 to drop multiple passengers into different orbits on future flights and turn through Earth’s atmosphere at the end of its mission to ensure it doesn’t become space junk.
On this flight, the Ariane 6 upper stage is set to release two clean disposal reentry capsules upon entry into Earth’s atmosphere, which will burn up harmlessly, leaving no space debris in orbit.
Another Ariane 6 is scheduled to launch this year on its first commercial flight under Arianespace as operator and launch service provider. “The success of this first flight marks the beginning of Ariane 6’s operational career, providing Europe with autonomous access to space,” added Stéphane Israël, CEO of Arianespace. “The new launcher’s order book is a testament to Ariane 6’s versatility and ability to perform a wide range of multi-orbit missions.” It reflects customers’ confidence in Ariane 6 for their institutional and commercial missions. We look forward to the start of operation of our new launch facility.”