With the transfer and standing up of Ariane 6’s central core and the integration of its two solid-fuel boosters, all stages of the first Ariane 6 rocket have been transferred to the launch pad in French Guiana – marking the beginning of operations.
While the qualification of the launcher and launch system has been underway here, on the European continent, the final tests have been carried out on the upper stage at the German Aerospace Centre’s (DLR) test facility in Lampoldshausen, Germany.
And, many of the elements that will make up the second, third, fourth, up to sixth flights are already being prepared in various integration facilities. Space Team Europe is not only prepping for the historic inaugural flight but also those to come over the next years – critical for Ariane 6’s customers.
The latest Campaign Readiness Review is over, and status meetings are being held every evening to ensure every element is ready for launch: the rocket, the launch pad, teams and procedures for every stage of operations.
There are so many elements to launching, and qualifying, a rocket: the very careful transport of all its parts using novel vehicles and technologies, many test phases on the launch pad, pressurisation of the tanks, batteries charged, preparing the fluids systems, checking the lines are clean, and on and on.
Next, it’ll be time for Ariane 6’s upper part which contains the many payloads and protective fairing.
In just a matter of days, Europe’s new rocket will be fully integrated on the launch pad and ready for flight, guaranteeing Europe’s access to space and meeting the demands of commercial and institutional markets. “Our order book is full”.
