Ariane 6 ready for takeoff

The European Space Agency (ESA) has confirmed that its launch readiness review of the Ariane 6 rocket has been fully satisfactory and that ESA has given the green light for a launch on 9 July.

Currently, and subject to normal weather conditions, the launch window from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, is scheduled for 20:00 Central European Time. Refueling of the rocket and its boosters will begin the night before launch.

Carine Leveau, director of space transportation at the French National Center for Space Studies (CNES), said she was relieved that the flight was taking place after numerous postponements. It was originally scheduled for 2020. She explained that Ariane’s order book, despite the recent cancellation of a weather satellite launch, is full.

“We have large-scale institutional missions waiting to be deployed in orbit. French sovereign missions, satellites from the Galileo constellation. And commercial customers of Arianespace, including the constellation (Kuiper) developed by Amazon, which has signed eighteen launch contracts,” said Mr. Leveau.

Arianespace’s Ariane 6 rocket will carry a 1,600 kg dummy payload and a dried-out ESA payload carrier that can accommodate experiments with a total weight of 80 kg and drop payloads with a total mass of 800 kg. The payload carrier will include several small satellites, including CuriumOne, OOV-Cube and SpaceCase SC-X01.

The rocket is essential for European scientific and government missions, some of which were forced to choose SpaceX because of the late availability of Ariane. The July 9 launch is only a test flight. The first commercial flight is planned for next winter, although no date has yet been specified.

The Ariane 6 rocket design does not allow for any recovery, so if we compare it to SpaceX it is – in all respects – a technology of the past, despite the enthusiastic support of its European manufacturers.

Arianespace is working on a partially reusable rocket, which should be available by 2027.