The Ariane 6 rocket from Europe is now prepared for launch.
Next week, Europe’s brand-new Ariane 6 rocket is scheduled to fly for the first time, carrying with it the continent’s aspirations to recover autonomy over space travel and stave off fierce competition from Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
The most powerful rocket ever launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) is finally scheduled to launch on July 9 at 3:00 PM (1800 GMT) from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, following four years of delays.
Europe has been dependent on competitors like the US company SpaceX to launch satellites and other missions into orbit since the last launch of the rocket’s workhorse predecessor, Ariane 5, a year ago.
Russia launched its Soyuz rockets from Kourou for over ten years until withdrawing them in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Following a failed launch, Europe’s Vega-C light rocket was grounded later that year. The situation was exacerbated by delays to Ariane 6’s first flight, which was initially planned for 2020.
“What could go wrong went wrong,” stated Josef Aschbacher, the head of ESA.
“Ariane 6 is crucial for Europe,” he continued. “It’s absolutely mandatory for Europe to have an independent access to space.”
Europe’s space sector has been closely watching the countdown to launch with trepidation following the setbacks of the 4.5 billion euro ($4.8 billion) program.
All of the launch procedures were practiced during a “wet dress rehearsal” that took place late last month, right up until the point when the engines fired on the launchpad.
According to Toni Tolker-Nielsen, acting director of ESA space transportation, everything went “very smoothly… like a Swiss watch,” and there was no reason to doubt the launch date.
“Critical moment” Satellites will enter geostationary orbit with Apollo 6, which is 36,000 kilometers (22,000 miles) above Earth and appears stationary because it matches Earth’s speed. A few hundred kilometers above the ground, it can also launch constellations.
With the purpose of preventing space debris, the rocket’s upper stage, which is propelled by the Vinci engine, burns after takeoff to launch satellites into orbit before tumbling into the Pacific Ocean.
Two boosters will be used for Ariane 6’s first launch; a more potent variant with four boosters is slated to launch in the middle of next year.
In contrast to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, the rocket’s boosters and other components are not reusable.
Ariane 6’s non-reusable nature has been a frequent point of criticism for billionaire Musk.
The European answer has been that, given that the rocket was intended for significantly fewer launches than the Falcon 9, it would not be economically advantageous for it to be reusable.
Initially, the rocket will launch nine times a year, which is a far cry from the Falcon 9, which launched fourteen times in May alone.
Eighteen smaller payloads, including scientific experiments and university microsatellites, will be carried on the rocket’s maiden launch.
Later in 2024, it is expected to make its first commercial flight; over the next two years, 14 more are planned.
shockingly late cancellation
The fact that space travel is so popular is one advantage of Ariane 6.
According to consultancy firm Novaspace, the amount spent on launchers, satellites, and other space-related industries is expected to soar to $822 billion by 2032, from $508 billion in the previous year.
However, thus far, this hasn’t been sufficient to turn a profit on Ariane 6.
The first fifteen launches will have funding in place.
However, in exchange for an 11% reduction, the 22 member nations of the European Space Agency (ESA) have decided to subsidize the rocket for a maximum of 340 million euros annually from its 16th to 42nd flights.
Thirty missions are already scheduled for Ariane 6, eighteen of which are to launch internet satellites from Amazon’s Kuiper constellation.
“For a rocket that hasn’t flown, that is completely unprecedented,” stated Arianespace CEO Stephane Israel.
Only a few days prior to the first flight, however, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 was chosen over the European Ariane 6 due to “exceptional circumstances” stated by EUMETSAT, Europe’s weather satellite operator.
The president of France’s space agency, CNES, Philippe Baptiste, described it as “a very disappointing day for European space efforts”.
The difficulty for Ariane 6 will be to survive in a “market that needs rockets” given the fierce competition, according to ArianeGroup CEO Martin Sion.
All things considered, he continued, Ariane 6 is “Europe’s sovereignty launcher”.
