It is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon (9) the first launch of Ariane 6the rocket that promises to take European Space Agency (ESA) back into space after the retirement of its predecessor, Ariane 5.
For more than 25 years and 117 launches since its inauguration in 1996, Ariane 5 was Europe’s main rocket, responsible for taking dozens of satellites from the European Galileo network and even the James Webb space telescope into space. However, since its retirement in 2023, ESA has not had its own means of reaching space.
“As the second largest economy in the world, Europe must ensure its access to space in a safe and autonomous way, so as not to depend on the capabilities and priorities of other nations,” says ESA in a statement about the new rocket. “With the launch of Ariane 6, Europe is not just sending a rocket into the sky, we are asserting our place among the world’s space-faring nations.”
What is the Ariane 6 rocket like?
The Ariane 6 was designed to launch a variety of missions and will have two distinct versions, depending on the power required for each flight: Ariane 62, with two rocket boosters, and the Ariane 64, with four rockets.
In its first launch, the aircraft will have two auxiliary rockets, or boosters, used to increase strength at the beginning of the launch, and an upper stage that can be reused up to four times, with technology that guarantees its return to Earth after launch. end of the mission.
The rocket is between 52 and 62 meters high, 5.4 meters in diameter and can carry up to 540 or 870 tons (depending on the model). The Ariane 6 has three sections or stages: two or four boosters (depending on the model), the main lower stage and the upper stage.
The core stage is powered by the liquid-fuel Vulcain 2.1 engine – an upgraded engine derived from the Ariane 5’s Vulcain 2 – and the boosters, P120C solid propellants, to provide additional thrust at liftoff.
The upper stage is powered by the restartable Vinci engine and is fueled by cryogenic liquid oxygen and hydrogen. This allows Ariane 6 to reach different orbits in a single mission and deliver more payloads at once.
The upper stage will burn as many times as necessary to reach the desired orbits and, after leaving the payload, it will perform a de-orbit maneuver and return to Earth, as a way of avoiding the increase in space debris (a novelty compared to its predecessor ).
On its first mission, it must carry several satellites, deployers and experiments from space agencies, companies, research institutes and universities.
The rocket was developed by an industrial network with professionals from 13 European countries, led by contractor ArianeGroup.
When and where will the launch be?
The debut launch of Ariane 6 should take place on Tuesday (9), between 3pm and 7pm (Brasília time).
As with the other Ariane rockets before this one, the launch will take place at the European air base located in French Guiana. According to ESA, the location close to the Equator gives the aircraft extra thrust due to the Earth’s rotation, increasing the launch power compared to points further north or south.
You can watch the launch live via from this link. The broadcast starts half an hour before takeoff.
Three phases
The first flight of Ariane 6 will have three phases:
- Getting from the ground to orbit: The rocket will be launched from Earth into space thanks to the main stage engine, Vulcain 2.1, together with the power of two powerful P120C thrusters. It is at this stage that the upper stage separates from the main stage and the Vinci engine takes it to an orbit of 300 to 700 km above Earth.
- Restart upper stage and deploy satellite: The rocket’s new feature, upper stage reusability, will be put to the test. The Vinci engine will be restarted to change Ariane 6’s orbit and deploy two batches of satellites into space.
- De-orbit: The final phase will reactivate the upper stage motor one last time for its re-entry into our atmosphere, shortly after the separation of the two re-entry capsules.
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