After years of delays, the much-anticipated first flight of Ariane 6 may finally take place this summer. But before we get too excited, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher is already bracing for failure before the rocket even reaches the launch pad.
During a panel discussion at the 39th Space Symposium this week, Aschbach noted that there is a 47% chance that a heavy-lift rocket will encounter a major anomaly during its first flight, according to the European Space Agency report. Although he did not mention Ariane 6 specifically, the announcement puts a major damper on the long-awaited debut of the heavy-lift rocket.
Ariane 6 has been in development for over ten years. The 197-foot (60-meter) rocket is capable of carrying 10 metric tons to low Earth orbit, 4.5 tons to sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) at an altitude of 500 miles (800 kilometers), and 10.5 tons The above objects are transported to Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO) altitude. Geostationary transfer orbit (GEO).French company Arianespace is developing the rocket on behalf of ESA, and Ariane 6 will serve as its successor now retired ariana 5.legendary rocket Last flight was made in Julyending a 27-year streak.
During that time, Ariane 5 was the dominant vehicle for space in the European market, and without it, Europe was scrambling to find rocket options capable of launching its payloads into orbit.back Sever ties with Russia After the invasion of Ukraine, Europe was forced to stop relying on Soyuz rockets to access space. ESA recently turned to US company SpaceX for help Delivery of the Euclid Telescope roll out On July 1, 2023, aboard the Falcon 9 rocket.
The first launch of the Ariane 6 was initially scheduled for 2020 but was later rescheduled to late 2022, largely due to the covid-19 pandemic and other technical hurdles encountered in its development. The rocket’s maiden flight has since been delayed, with a key test of the rocket’s upper stage in December 2023 aborted two minutes after the engine ignited.
Arianespace has not released any details about its investigation into the failed test. However, Ariane 6 is currently tentatively scheduled to launch in June or July this year. Even if the rocket does take off this summer, Aschbach’s comments are a reminder that success is only a 50-50 success.
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