After a lengthy wait, Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket launches on its first flight
Posted on Jul 18, 2024 at 10:07 PM
On July 9, the Ariane 6 made history by being the first vehicle to take off from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, at 3:01 p.m. EDT (1901 GMT).
Europe launched its Ariane 6 rocket, marking a significant step in the country's space competition. The retirement of Ariane 6 limited Europe's ability to launch large satellites using its own rockets, necessitating its debut as the first in a decade.
“Ariane 6 will power Europe into space. Ariane 6 will make history,” declared Josef Aschbacher, director general of the European Space Agency (ESA), via X today in the run-up to launch.
AN ALL-NEW ROCKET
The Ariane 6's launch, originally scheduled for 2020, was delayed due to technical and external issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ariane 6 and Ariane 5, which operated 117 missions from 1996 to 2023, did not overlap, leaving Vega as the only operational orbital rocket in Europe's stable.
European space officials are eagerly awaiting the launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9 to avoid reliance on foreign rockets for large payloads.
ESA announced Ariane 6, a French ArianeGroup rocket, ensuring autonomous space access, science, Earth observation, technology development, and commercial possibilities, powered by Vulcain 2.1 and Vinci engines.
The Ariane 6 is available in two variants, A62 and A64, with the latter capable of delivering 11.4 tons and 23.8 tons to low Earth orbit, respectively.
ANTICIPATIONS FOR ARIANE 6
Due to manufacturing improvements and other advancements, European officials predict that the Ariane 6 will offer a comparable payload capacity to the Ariane 5 at half the price.
Arianespace's per-flight costs remain unclear, with estimates suggesting a baseline launch price of 150 million euros and a target mission price of 75 million euros.
ESA member states may likely subsidize the Ariane 6 rocket, which is expected to be competitive with the Falcon 9, annually between €290 and €340 million through 2031.
The Falcon 9 is partially reusable, while the Ariane 6 is expendable due to its expected annual flight frequency, according to ESA officials.
ESA's director of space transportation, Toni Tolker-Nielsen, stated that the launch needs are so low that it would not economically make sense.
The Ariane 6 rocket, with 30 flights, is set to aid Amazon's Kuiper satellite-internet constellation, with further missions expected in 2025, 2026, and 2027, prior to its successful test flight.
A DEBUT OF 9 SATELLITES
Nine CubeSats were successfully deployed by the Ariane 6 satellite, reaching Earth's orbit about 65 minutes after liftoff, according to European space officials.
NASA's CubeSat Radio Interferometry Experiment, featuring two passengers, aims to identify solar radio waves, marking a significant milestone in radio astronomy, according to NASA's David Sundkvist.
CubeSats will study Earth's climate, weather, and gamma rays, with scientific gear, upper-stage experiments, and reentry capsules tested during the fiery journey home.
Ariane 6's upper stage failed to complete a burn for final deployment due to an APU failure, pressurizing fuel tanks and providing additional thrust.
During the briefing, the mission team members emphasized that the anomaly during the "tech demo" phase should not overshadow the overall flight's success.
Read more news:
Isle of Wight: Discovery of UK's Largest Complete Dinosaur Skeleton "Comptonatus Chasei"
Nvidia's Meteoric Rise: Poised to Surpass Microsoft
AI Market Turmoil: A $190 Billion Setback
