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<\/p>\nThe long-awaited maiden flight of Ariane 6 is scheduled to take place between June 15 and July 31, 2024, European Space Agency (ESA) Director General Josef Aschbacher announced at a press conference on Thursday.<\/p>\n
This followed a successful hot-fire test of the Vulcain 2.1 core stage engine of the new European launcher on its launch pad in Kourou, French Guiana, on Nov. 23. It consisted of a major full-scale rehearsal of a complete launch timeline, followed by more than seven minutes of stabilized operation covering the entire core stage flight phase.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the completion of the last test, Ariane 6 has passed the dress rehearsals required for qualification. We have validated our models, increased our knowledge of operations, and are now confident for the first launch phase of the new European heavy-lift launcher,\u201d said Aschbacher after a meeting of an Ariane 6 task force on Nov. 29.<\/p>\n
ESA officials also revealed the reason behind the early shutdown of the Vulcain 2.1 engine during the Nov. 23 long-duration hot-fire test. The engine had been expected to fire for 470 seconds, \u201cnearly eight minutes,\u201d as reported frequently before the test. However, the test ultimately lasted for only 426 seconds.<\/p>\n
According to ESA Director of Space Transportation Toni Tolker-Nielsen, the cause of the early shutdown was a combination of a faulty sensor and conservatively set fuel limit parameters. \u201cOne of the sensors, based on this very narrow threshold, was declared invalid,\u201d explained Tolker-Nielsen. The subsequent early shutdown occurred \u201cin order to protect the launch pad.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Ariane 6 on the pad firing its Vulcain main engine. (Credit:
ESA\/M. Pedoussaut)<\/p>\n
This problem, however, would not present itself during actual flight conditions. \u201cThis is not an issue whatsoever on the performance because this is linked to the test on the ground. This early switch-off would not happen in flight,\u201d said Aschbacher. \u201cIt would only have happened 1.5 seconds before the planned shutdown. We are very confident that the test was a full success.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, two further tests will have to happen to qualify Ariane 6 for its maiden flight and \u201cto check whether the reliability and robustness of the design meet expectations,\u201d said Martin Sion, CEO of ArianeGroup.<\/p>\n
Space Technology (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n On Dec. 7, another upper stage test will be conducted at the German Aerospace Center facilities in Lampoldshausen, Germany, \u201cwith the exploration of alternative functioning and flight conditions and stage\u2019s operating limits in degraded conditions,\u201d as the official ESA statement says.<\/p>\n On Dec. 15, a \u201cCombined Test Loading 3\u201d is scheduled to take place in Kourou. This will simulate tanking procedures before launch once again, but also with in-built error scenarios. The test will end with a short ignition of the Vulcain 2.1 engine.<\/p>\n The main and upper stages of Ariane 6\u2019s first flight model, Flight Model 1 (FM-1), are scheduled to leave Europe by ship in late January or early February 2024 and arrive in Kourou at the end of February to be stacked.<\/p>\n It is expected that FM-1 will be on the launch pad at the end of April, according to Sion. During this time, the Ariane 6 qualification review will officially be concluded, certifying the vehicle fit for flight. This will be the last major milestone before launch. It should then be possible to narrow down the launch date more precisely.<\/p>\n On its maiden flight, Ariane 6 in the Ariane 62 version with two solid-fuel boosters will not be transporting any large, valuable payloads. Instead, it will carry several small satellites, including two from NASA.<\/p>\nSee Also<\/h4>\n
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