At ongoing ESA Ariane 6 press bfg, ESA DG Aschbacher still won't say when the 1st launch might be, even whether it will be in first half of 2024.
The 4-second Vulcain core stage engine test that was supposed to be in July and then last Friday is now set for tmrw. Long duration test next month (was to have been Sept 26). Then will announce launch PERIOD, not a specific date.
Ariane 6 joint update report, 4 September 2023
Ariane 6 joint update report, 4 September 202304/09/2023ESA / Enabling & Support / Space TransportationThe Ariane 6 Launcher Task Force consists of top management at ESA, the overall Ariane 6 procuring entity and launch system architect, launch base prime contractor and French space agency CNES, launcher system prime contractor ArianeGroup and launch service provider Arianespace. This group reports regularly on progress being made towards inaugural flight of the new Ariane 6 launcher.The next update is expected in October.Key milestones towards inaugural flight:18 July 2023: Combined tests, hot firing test of the main stage with Vulcain 2.1 engine ignition - At Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, engineers from ArianeGroup, CNES and ESA, successfully completed for the first time a launcher preparation and countdown sequence.The 26-hour test included the removal of the mobile gantry, the chill-down of ground and launcher fluidic systems, the filling of the upper and core stage tanks with liquid hydrogen (–253°C) and liquid oxygen (–183°C), and the successful completion of a launch chronology up to the ignition of the Vulcain 2.1 engine thrust chamber by the ground system.During the exercise fully representative of a launch chronology, the teams successfully tested many degraded and contingency modes, demonstrating that the launcher and the launch base fit correctly. Operational procedures, lower and upper stages, avionics, software, launch base and control bench worked correctly together, and the performance of the full launch system was measured with excellent results.1 September 2023: Upper stage hot firing test, Lampoldshausen - At German aerospace agency DLR’s rocket engine test centre in Lampoldshausen, Germany, engineers from DLR, ArianeGroup and ESA completed another hot-fire test, representative of the inaugural flight.Assembled at ArianeGroup’s site in Bremen, Germany, the Ariane 6 upper stage incorporates some of the launcher’s main innovations, enabling it to carry out the widest possible range of launch missions, including complex ones such as large-scale deployment of satellite constellations in low Earth orbit (LEO), or successive injection of payloads into different orbital planes. At the end of its mission, the stage is de-orbited.The stage includes two main tanks for cryogenic propellants (liquid hydrogen and oxygen) to power the Vinci engine which can be re-ignited up to four times, and the innovative Auxiliary Power Unit (APU).The upper stage test sequence was representative of its full operating phase during Ariane 6’s inaugural flight.It involved more than 11 minutes (680 seconds) of operation of the Vinci re-ignitable engine in two boosts in parallel with operation of the APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) which was in operation for a cumulative period of nearly 30 minutes.The APU makes it possible for Vinci to restart in space, by maintaining adequate pressure in the fuel tanks and preventing bubbles in the fuel lines. The APU uses small amounts of liquid hydrogen and oxygen from the main tanks – replacing a system which relied on large quantities of tanked helium. Next milestones:5 September 2023: Combined tests, hot firing test of the main stage with Vulcain 2.1 engine stabilized operation, Kourou – This second hot-fire test of the main stage will be very close to the previous one (18 July), but will end with 4 seconds of stabilized operation of the Vulcain 2.1 engine.This test is a key milestone in the combined tests campaign. Its success will enable qualification of all the operations of an Ariane 6 launch countdown. It is part of the overall qualification of the launch system, comprising the launcher and its ground installations, notably the ELA4 launch complex dedicated to Ariane 6, and its ZL4 launch zone.3 October 2023: Combined tests, long-duration hot firing test of the main stage with Vulcain 2.1 engine stabilized operation, Kourou – This long-duration test will end with about 8 minutes (470 seconds) of stabilized operation of the Vulcain 2.1 engine.This test will cover the entire flight phase of the core stage and will contribute to “flight-ready” qualification of the main stage.End-2023: Upper stage hot firing test, Lampoldshausen – Further hot-firing test of the upper stage planned to examine stage behaviour in degraded cases. The objective is to deliver a more robust Ariane 6.Ariane 6 is an all-new design, created to succeed Ariane 5 as Europe's heavy-lift launch system. With Ariane 6's upper stage restart capability, Europe's launch capability will be tailored to the needs of multiple payload missions, for example to orbit satellite constellations. This autonomous capability to reach Earth orbit and deep space supports Europe's navigation, Earth observation, scientific and security programmes. Ongoing development of Europe's space transportation capabilities is made possible by the sustained dedication of thousands of talented people working in ESA's 22 Member States.
Ariane 6 media briefing – September 2023
I'm told the Ariane 6 short-duration hotfire test was successfully completed this afternoon in Kourou. ESA will be releasing an update with imagery early tomorrow (European time).
https://twitter.com/stephenclark1/status/1699153642278834382QuoteI'm told the Ariane 6 short-duration hotfire test was successfully completed this afternoon in Kourou. ESA will be releasing an update with imagery early tomorrow (European time).
🎥 Fuelled-up dress rehearsal for #Ariane6 launch with ignition and startup of the core stage’s Vulcain 2.1 engine, followed by four seconds of firing. See https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2023/09/Hot-fire_test_of_Ariane_6_core_stage_on_launch_pad @CNES @ArianeGroup @ESA_transport
Fuelled-up dress rehearsal for #Ariane6 with ignition of Vulcain 2.1 engine 🔥: esa.int/Enabling_Suppo…
Ariane 6 task force update: great data and results from the hot-fire September tests for #Ariane6 both in French Guiana and Germany. However, an anomaly was detected in the thrust control vector hydraulics when preparing for the next test and the long-duration hot firing test will no longer take place on 3 October as teams investigate the causes. We will come back to you with more updates when available.
The first payload fairing of #Ariane6 from @ArianeGroup, which will take off next year, will soon leave our production hall in Emmen 🇨🇭 and make its way to Kourou. Today, the first half-shell was prepared for transport and packed into the container. 🚀
https://www.latribune.fr/entreprises-finance/industrie/aeronautique-defense/ariane-6-vers-un-premier-vol-en-avril-mai-2024-977533.html[Oct 11]-ESA is aiming for a April-May launch windows of the first Ariane 6-Anomaly that delayed Long test fire is caused by an impermeability issues in the hydraulic systems of the Vulcan's TVC, Arianegroup expects a quick fix that should not affect the first launch's schedule-WDR in deteriorated conditions planned for October 24-25-Long test fire is planned for Late november, pending repairs of the Vulcain's nozzle.-First launch A6's fairing arriving in Kourou on November 3, its core stage and upper stage on December 10-Planned launch rate: 2 A6 in 2024, 6 in 2025, 8 in 2026, 10 in 2027; First 4 will be Ariane 62-2 of the 18 kuiper launches seem to have been shifted to Ariane 62 (instead of the previous 16 A64+ plus 2 A64)
🔑The keys to the #Ariane6 launchpad @EuropeSpacePort. A symbolic handover ceremony occurred this summer between @esa and @cnes to signal the end of qualification for the launch site and it being ready for use 🤝🔑
One item of note from the ongoing ESA Council media briefing: the Ariane 6 long-duration hotfire test has been rescheduled for Nov. 23. The announcement of the launch date for the first Ariane 6 mission will come after that.
🚨Ariane 6 update🚨In order to optimise the #Ariane6 testing schedule, the test sequence has been inverted. This allows us to anticipate the launch rehearsal test, followed by the long-duration firing test of the main stage Vulcain 2.1 engine, and ultimately reduces any impact on the overall schedule.*Next milestones* October: Combined test, launch rehearsal with ignition of the main stage, Kourou, French GuianaNovember: Combined test, long-duration firing of the main stage with Vulcain 2.1 engine, Kourou, French GuianaDecember: Upper stage firing test, Lampoldshausen, GermanyRead the full update here:
Ariane 6 joint update report, 19 October 202319/10/2023The Ariane 6 Launcher Task Force consists of top management of ESA, as the overall Ariane 6 procuring entity and launch system architect, of the French space agency CNES, as the launch base prime contractor, of ArianeGroup as the launcher system prime contractor and of Arianespace as the launch service provider. This group reports regularly on progress being made towards inaugural flight of the new Ariane 6 launcher.Key milestones towards inaugural flight:On the way towards the inaugural flight of Ariane 6 two important tests have already been implemented. On 18 July the hot firing test of the main stage with the Vulcain 2.1 engine ignition in Kourou was successful, completing for the first time the launcher preparation and countdown sequence. On 1 September the upper stage hot firing test in Lampoldshausen was also a success, representing the full operational phase during Ariane 6’s first flight.During the preparatory operations for the next test, the long-duration firing test, initially planned on 3 October in Kourou, an anomaly has been detected on the core stage’s hydraulic group. This equipment made by SABCA (Belgium) is part of the Thrust Vector Control (TVC) system of the core stage. The role of the TVC system is to maintain the launcher's correct attitude by gimballing the Vulcain 2.1 engine during its operation. Activation of the TVC is part of the long duration firing test.A group of experts has been tasked to analyse and propose solutions to resolve the anomaly, characterised by an abnormal internal pressure of the hydraulic group. Because of the time needed by the experts to disassemble the equipment, assess the problem and determine the root cause, the schedule for Ariane 6 launch rehearsals has been adapted. In order to optimise the schedule the test sequence has been inverted leading to the anticipation of the launch rehearsal test under different environmental conditions followed by the long-duration firing test of the main stage Vulcain 2.1 engine.The modification of the test sequence allows the Ariane 6 teams to keep the pace on the progressive achievement of qualification objectives and to reduce any impact on the schedule.Next milestones:October 2023: Combined test, launch rehearsal with ignition of the main stage, Kourou, French GuianaAs part of the test sequence reconfiguration, the Ariane 6 Task force decided to bring forward to end of october a rehearsal test originally planned to be held after the long firing test.This full-scale 36-hour long test is compatible with the parallel resolution of the anomaly on the hydraulic group. It consists in the execution of a full launch chronology enriched by qualification tests on several launch system functions including ventilation of cavities, launch range interfaces, and environmental characterisation. This time, operations will be executed during the coolest hours of the day at dawn time. The test results will be part of the Ariane 6 qualification.November 2023: Combined test, long-duration firing of the main stage with Vulcain 2.1 engine, Kourou, French Guiana. Similar to the previous hot-firing rehearsals, this test will end with a full eight minutes (470 seconds) of firing of the Vulcain 2.1 engine, representing the entire flight phase of the core stage. The anomaly affecting the hydraulic group of the TVC system resulted in a change of the test schedule. ArianeGroup as prime contractor and SABCA as supplier already prepared a replacement specimen of the hydraulic group, without waiting for the results of the technical investigation. Once the equipment is integrated on the Ariane 6 launcher specimen, teams will finish preparations for the test which is now planned on 23 November. As per standing plan, the Ariane 6 first flight launch period estimate will only be given when the combined long firing test will have been carried out and the test results are analysed. December 2023: Upper stage firing test, Lampoldshausen, Germany It is planned to examine stage behaviour in degraded cases. The adaptation of the test sequence keeps the Ariane 6 development on track for a launch in 2024.
