{"id":10072,"date":"2024-07-07T19:04:31","date_gmt":"2024-07-07T11:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/european-space-agency-launches-inaugural-ariane-6-rocket-encounters-upper-stage-issue\/"},"modified":"2024-07-07T19:04:31","modified_gmt":"2024-07-07T11:04:31","slug":"european-space-agency-launches-inaugural-ariane-6-rocket-encounters-upper-stage-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/european-space-agency-launches-inaugural-ariane-6-rocket-encounters-upper-stage-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"European Space Agency launches inaugural Ariane 6 rocket, encounters upper stage issue"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Europe\u2019s new rocket Ariane 6 powered Europe into space taking with it a varied selection of experiments, satellites, payload deployers and reentry demonstrations that represent thousands across Europe, from students to industry and experienced space actors. Image: M. P\u00e9doussaut\/ESA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Update 7:30 p.m. EDT: An anomaly with the Auxiliary Propulsion Unit on the rocket\u2019s upper stage caused it to deviate from its nominal trajectory and miss both the deployment of two payloads and its deoribt burn<\/strong><\/em>. Added information from the Tuesday evening press conference<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

The inaugural launch of the Ariane 6 rocket, which was lauded from those from the President of France to the NASA Administrator, hit a notable snag in the third and final phase of the mission. Part of the rocket\u2019s upper stage, called the Auxiliary Propulsion Unit (APU), was powered on for a third time as intended, but it quickly shut off after only seconds, causing the upper stage to deviate from its planned trajectory.<\/p>\n

During a post-launch press conference, leadership within the European Space Agency (ESA), ArianeGroup (the prime contractor) and CNES (France\u2019s space agency) focused primarily on the successes of the day, rather than the anomaly at the end of the mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an historic moment. An inaugural launch of a heavy launcher does not happen every year. It happens probably 20 years or maybe 30 years. The last one was about 30 years ago,\u201d said Josef Aschbacher, the ESA director general, referring to the debut of the Ariane 5, which first launched in 2005. \u201cToday we have launched Ariane 6 successfully and this is a big milestone.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the roughly 30-minute, post-launch briefing, no additional details were provided on the APU, which was designed to position the upper stage in a way that would allow it to perform the final burn of its Vinci engine and put it on a deorbit trajectory. The issue with this also meant that the two final payloads, reentry capsules, were unable to be deployed.<\/p>\n

The APU was activated twice previously in the mission, but Martin Sion, the CEO of ArianeGroup, the snag on the third attempt is \u201cnot understood yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is unfortunate, but this is also why we make a tech demo in flight because there are some things that we cannot test on the ground and this is why, from the beginning, we were very clear on the fact that there were two aspects,\u201d Sion said. \u201cOne was to demonstrate the launch success, which we did, and then to understand and to gather as much information as possible in this microgravity phase.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 62-meter-tall (203-foot-tall) rocket did lift off successfully from Europe\u2019s Spaceport in French Guiana at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 UTC). St\u00e9phane Isra\u00ebl, the CEO of Arianespace, said they don\u2019t see this anomaly as an impediment to launching a military satellite on the second mission targeting launch later this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we have achieved tonight with the launch success enables us to prepare the next missions, missions, starting with the second one. So we are perfectly on track now to make a second launch this year, in 2024,\u201d Isra\u00ebl said. \u201cSo, [the anomaly] has no consequence on the next launches.\u201d<\/p>\n