After a long wait: Ariane 6 to take off
Published: Monday, Jul 8th 2024, 13:00
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The new Ariane 6 rocket is due to take off on its maiden flight from the Kourou space center in French Guiana this Tuesday. However, the path to the project with Swiss participation has not been easy so far.
After a decade, the time has finally come: after a number of setbacks, the Ariane 6 launcher is to take off from the Kourou space center in French Guiana for the first time. It will replace its predecessor, Ariane 5, which has been in service since 1996. An overview:
2010: France and Germany plan together
Germany and France are jointly planning the construction of Ariane 6. It is to follow the Ariane 5, which is up to 52 meters high and can carry almost ten tons of payload into space. The new version is to be modulable and extremely robust. Switzerland is one of 13 countries participating in the Ariane program.
2013: Ariane 6 takes shape
According to a concept from the European Space Agency Esa, the new launcher is to have four engines, each with around 135 tons of solid propellant. However, construction is still up in the air. As one of Esa's main financial backers, Germany only wants to develop Ariane 5 for the time being.
2015: Esa awards development contract
Esa commissions the rocket manufacturer Airbus Safran Launchers (ASL) with the development of Ariane 6. The contract has a volume of 2.4 billion euros. In the following year, there will be a contract for a second financial tranche of 1.7 billion euros. The aim is to transport satellites into space much more cheaply than with Ariane 5. Switzerland is contributing 2.4 percent of the costs of around four billion euros.
2019: Rocket launch targeted for July 2020
According to the rocket operator Arianespace, Ariane 6 will be launched for the first time in July 2020.
2020: Delayed launch due to excessive costs
The coronavirus pandemic is leading to delays and interruptions in production and test phases. It is also causing high costs. The launch of the rocket is initially postponed to 2021 and later to 2022 due to the pandemic.
2021: More money for new Ariane 6 rocket
Germany and France provide additional funding. In November, an Ariane 6 upper stage leaves Bremen for the first time to travel to the Kourou spaceport.
2022: Launch of the launch vehicle postponed to 2023
Following a successful hot-run test of the complete upper stage at the beginning of October, the planned first flight of Ariane 6 has been postponed to the end of 2023, and later to 2024. New requirements from commercial customers and the need for additional tests are extending the development schedule.
2023: Another delay to the rocket launch
At the beginning of July, an Ariane 5 will be launched into space for the last time. Since then, Esa has lacked its own transporters to launch large satellites into space. Since a failed launch of the Vega C during its first commercial flight in December 2022, this rocket has also been grounded for the time being.
2024: First components in French Guiana
The main and upper stages of Ariane 6 arrive in Kourou in February. In June, the first flight into space is scheduled for July 9. The rocket's payload fairing comes from the Swiss company Beyond-Gravity, and APCO Technologies, based in Aigle VD, supplied the fastenings and the booster cap, among other things. The payload fairing protects the rocket's cargo during launch and when it passes through the earth's atmosphere. The boosters give the rocket additional thrust during launch.
©Keystone/SDA
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