This is how the rocket will reach orbit

Europe is set to regain independent access to space tomorrow, July 9, when the long-awaited Ariane 6 rocket takes off for the first time.

The heavy-lift satellite launcher, ordered by the European Space Agency (ESA) and manufactured by ArianeGroup, was supposed to replace its predecessor, Ariane 5, just after its retirement a year ago.

But a series of delays in the development of Ariane 6, problems with the Vega-C launcher and the loss of access to Russian Soyuz rockets after the invasion of Ukraine have left Europe without its own launch system. As a result, for the past year, ESA has relied on US company SpaceX to send satellites into orbit.

Today, Ariane 6 promises to solve what European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Bretton has called an “unprecedented” space crisis for the continent.

Standing more than 60 metres tall, the rocket will weigh nearly 900 tonnes when fully loaded, roughly the weight of one and a half Airbus A380 airliners.

It is capable of launching heavy and light payloads for a wide range of applications, from Earth observation and telecommunications to meteorology, science and navigation.

The rocket is composed of three main parts: the main stage, consisting of two detachable boosters and a Vulcain 2.1 engine; the upper stage, which houses the payload and is powered by a reactivated Vinci engine; and the fairing, which protects the satellites during ascent.

Ariane 6: ready for takeoff

Ariane 6 will take off powered by the two boosters and the Vulcain 2.1 engine. After burning their fuel, the boosters will separate first from the rocket. Once past the Earth’s atmosphere, the fairing will also separate.

About eight minutes after liftoff, the main stage will separate completely. The Ariane 6 upper stage will then take over, propelled by the Vinci engine into an elliptical orbit 700 km above the Earth.

During the next phase, Vinci will re-ignite to place Ariane 6 in a circular orbit 580 km above the Earth’s surface. After re-ignition, the launcher will deploy eight different satellites and activate four experiments on board.

In the final phase, the Vinci engine will re-ignite to initiate the controlled deorbit of Ariane 6 through the atmosphere above the NEMO point in the South Pacific. Two re-entry capsules on board will separate from the upper stage to complete their descent.

Meanwhile, ESA will send a final command to passivate the upper stage (i.e. remove all the energy on board) before it burns up in the atmosphere. In this way, the agency hopes to prevent the rocket part from remaining in space as debris.

Ariane 6 will lift off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The launch window is set between 15:00 and 19:00 local time (20:00-00:00 CEST). You can follow the launch live on ESAWebTV or on ESA’s YouTube channel.