Ariane 6 completes test of upper stage
Ariane 6, the next step in the European rocket program, has finished the first test in the DLR Test center.
In December 2014 the ESA (European Space Agency) Ministerial Council decided to start the development of the next generation Ariane rocket. Caused by several delays, the initial launch moved from 2020 to 2023, the current test of the upper stage marks an very important milestone.
What is an “upper stage”, the upper stage refers to the last stage of the rocket before the payload is deployed. It differs from the lower stages mainly by the way it burns fuel. Upper stages burn in the higher atmosphere or even no atmosphere and no gravity, so special fuel pumps are needed to circulate the propellant. The lower stages of Ariane 6 will burn liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LOX), supported by two and up to four solid propellant boosters. The upper stage as well will burn liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LOX).
The test has been conducted in Lampoldshausen, Germany (see picture), the test marks another premiere as it was the first test which has been conducted specially for this type of tests.
According to Anja Frank (Manager at DLR Institute of Space Propulsion), more than 500 individual stages will be checked before and during the 45 second burn of the upper stage. Focus of the first days of testing will be the fuelling and depletion of the propellant, as especially the later part can be crucial during failures and emergencies. (Full Interview: DLR)
Ariane 6 will most likely be the cheapest rocket by Ariane. While Ariane 5 is considered to be a heavy lift launch vehicle (HLV/HLLV), with capabilities of more than 20.000 kg, Ariane 6 will aim for the better price. The Deployment version 62 will be able to launch 10.000 kg in Low Earth Orbit, 50 % of Ariane 5, but also at a cost of estimated 75 million Euro versus 139 million Euro per launch. In comparison, according to the CNBC reports, SpaceX reusable Falcon 9 will cost 67 million USD per launch.
Who hoped to see reusability capabilities like we have seen at SpaceX will be disappointed, Ariane will have no reusable parts.
Source and Pictures Credit : European Space Agency
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