{"id":22670,"date":"2021-07-14T23:51:51","date_gmt":"2021-07-14T15:51:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/what-kind-of-payloads-could-use-ariane-6s-new-kick-stage\/"},"modified":"2021-07-14T23:51:51","modified_gmt":"2021-07-14T15:51:51","slug":"what-kind-of-payloads-could-use-ariane-6s-new-kick-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/what-kind-of-payloads-could-use-ariane-6s-new-kick-stage\/","title":{"rendered":"What kind of payloads could use Ariane 6\u2019s new kick stage?"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"img-border featured-image wp-block-image--obfuscated\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"100%\" src=\"https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/themes\/ninetofive\/dist\/images\/default-spaceexplored-related-guide.png?w=960\" class=\"skip-lazy wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/themes\/ninetofive\/dist\/images\/default-spaceexplored-related-guide.png?w=320&amp;quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/themes\/ninetofive\/dist\/images\/default-spaceexplored-related-guide.png?w=640&amp;quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/themes\/ninetofive\/dist\/images\/default-spaceexplored-related-guide.png?w=1024&amp;quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/themes\/ninetofive\/dist\/images\/default-spaceexplored-related-guide.png?w=1500&amp;quality=82&amp;strip=all&amp;ssl=1 1500w\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" data-attachment-id=\"15971\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/2021\/07\/13\/what-kind-of-payloads-could-use-ariane-6s-new-kick-stage\/astris_kick_stage_for_ariane_6_article\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/themes\/ninetofive\/dist\/images\/default-spaceexplored-related-guide.png\" data-orig-size=\"960,540\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-title=\"Astris_kick_stage_for_Ariane_6_article\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\n\n<p>Credit: ESA<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/themes\/ninetofive\/dist\/images\/default-spaceexplored-related-guide.png?w=960&#8243;><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\tCredit: ESA\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today the European Space Agency announced they will add a kick stage option to their upcoming Ariane 6 rocket. The addition brings expands the payload capabilities for the rocket.<\/p>\n<p><span id=\"more-15970\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ESA\u2019s kick stage, named Astris, will be an optional third stage that can be added to their Ariane 6 rocket. The stage directly attaches to the payload and allows the customer to get into a more precise orbit. The stage could also be used just as a third stage, allowing payloads to reach further destinations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many payloads bring with them their own propulsion systems to reach their final orbit. This requires additional teams, hardware, and testing to make sure these systems operate smoothly. With Astris, this task can be tacked onto the launch provider allowing the satellite operator to worry less about getting to space and more about what they will do once they\u2019re up there.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-payloads-need-this\">What payloads need this?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most payloads that enter low to medium Earth orbit can rely on the rocket\u2019s second stage or small thrusters for final orbital maneuvers. By contrast, large satellites to higher Earth orbits or beyond need additional propulsion systems to reach their destinations.<\/p>\n<p>\t<span class=\"outbrain-ad-label\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t<script type=\"text\/plain\">\n\t\t\twindow.adSlotsConfig = window.adSlotsConfig || [];<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\tadSlotsConfig.push( {\n\t\t\t\tslotID: '\/1049447\/Outbrain',\n\t\t\t\tslotName: 'div-gpt-ad-outbrain-ad-15970',\n\t\t\t\tsizes: [300, 250],\n\t\t\t\tslotPosition: 'mid_article'\n\t\t\t} );\n\t\t<\/script><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-large-earth-orbiting-satellites\">Large Earth orbiting satellites<\/h4>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For most satellites going to geostationary orbit (GTO) this kick stage could completely replace their propulsion system making for a less complex and smaller satellite. GTO satellites usually consist of communication, weather predicting, and intelligence-gathering satellites. Often these between the size of cars and school buses. Simplifying these satellites will pass savings onto the manufacturer, allowing wider access to space.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image wp-block-image--obfuscated\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/themes\/ninetofive\/dist\/images\/default-spaceexplored-related-guide.png\" alt=\"Site default logo image\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/figure>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-deep-space-exploration\">Deep space exploration<\/h4>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another field of payloads that will benefit from this kick stage will be deep space missions. No matter what you do, additional propulsion is needed to send scientific missions to far-off worlds. Conservation of fuel is precious for these missions. ESA\u2019s kick stage could add years of life to deep space missions.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ridesharing-missions\">Ridesharing missions<\/h4>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the rise  in popularity of CubeSats, Astris would allow these payloads to ride along to further destinations. Most kick stages allow other companies to share the cost of the launch for the ability to ride along to their destination. Astris would be another option for the industry to choose from.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-can-it-compete-with-rocket-lab-s-photon\">Can it compete with Rocket Lab\u2019s Photon?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, this isn\u2019t the first kick stage to be developed and far from the last. Rocket Lab has been using a kick stage for several years and recently turned it into a satellite platform named Photon. While that differs from ESA\u2019s Astris, as it just acts as the satellite\u2019s propulsion system. It is a perfect example of what these kick stages could be marketed as in the future.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-space-explored-s-take\">Space Explored\u2019s Take<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I think this a great and cool addition to ESA\u2019s next-generation rocket. Ridesharing serves as a vital tool to open the rocket up to more payloads and increase the customer base of a given rocket. Despite this great addition, I don\u2019t think this will save the Ariane 6 from being DOA (Dead On Arrival). With increasing competition for low-cost reliable access to space in the US and China, Ariane 6 still has a way to go to become extremely competitive. The Ariane 6 is an expendable rocket that isn\u2019t expected to launch until late 2022. Perhaps if this was announced as a satellite platform by Arianespace\/ESA which could be adapted to launch on other rockets it would be more compelling.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-read-more\">Read More<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Rocket Lab CEO talks with Scott Manley over a game of Kerbal Space Program<\/li>\n<li>Relativity Space announces fully reusable rocket, Terran R<\/li>\n<li>Northrop Grumman and NASA finalize contract for Artemis Gateway module<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-want-to-help-support-space-explored\">Want to help support Space Explored?<\/h3>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shop on&nbsp;Amazon&nbsp;to support Space Explored writers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Directly support Seth by becoming a member of their&nbsp;Patreon.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"enjoy-reading-space-explored\">Enjoy reading Space Explored?<\/h3>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Help others find us by following on <strong>Apple News<\/strong> and <strong>Google News<\/strong>. Be sure to check us out on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, join our Discord!<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"disclaimer-affiliate\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/spaceexplored.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/08\/unistellar-telescope.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17371\" width=\"750\" height=\"150\"><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22670"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22670"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22670\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}