![The Ariane 6 rocket's upper stage undergoes hot fire testing on September 1.](https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Ariane_6_upper_stage_testing-800x450.jpg)
ESA/DLR/ArianeGroup
Europe’s recent Ariane 6 rocket is reaching its decisive phase of testing, officials said this week. This features a short- and long-duration firing of the rocket’s first stage at European launch facilities in French Guiana, tests that would occur today and about one month from now.
“They’re really the decisive moments after we see how the engines operate under full throttle,” the director general of the European Space Agency, Josef Aschbacher, said during a press briefing on Monday.
Aschbacher declined to specify a launch goal for the brand new medium-lift rocket, the event of which began in 2014 was originally attributable to make its debut in 2020. The European Space Agency and the rocket’s prime contractor, ArianeGroup, at the moment are working toward a launch in 2024.
The event of Ariane 6 has change into critical attributable to these delays and the lack of access to the Russian Soyuz rocket after the onset of war in Ukraine. This has forced the European Space Agency to depend on launch competitors, particularly SpaceX and its Falcon 9 rocket, for getting a few of its critical missions into space.
“Guaranteed access to space is a must for Europe, and that’s the reason we’ve put all of this attention on developing the Ariane 6 launcher,” Aschbacher said. “This is key.”
Hot fire tests
This system to develop Ariane 6 took a vital step forward on Friday with the successful full-duration test firing of the Ariane 6 rocket’s upper stage at a test site in Lampoldshausen, Germany. The test encompassed a firing of the second stage throughout its flight profile for 11 minutes. While European engineers are still reviewing data from this test, it appears to substantiate the second stage is prepared for flight.
The main target, subsequently, now turns to the primary stage, which is powered by the Vulcain 2.1 engine and two or 4 solid rocket motor boosters. This rocket underwent a wet dress rehearsal on July 18 and was purported to ignite its Vulcain engine briefly. Nevertheless, the European Space Agency stated afterward that the recent fire test didn’t occur because operators “ran out of time.”
During Monday’s press briefing, the director of space transportation for the French space agency CNES, Carine Leveau, offered a bit bit more details about a difficulty with the rocket’s ground systems in the course of the July 18 test.
“We would have liked more time to make sure that all the things was well prepared with the control bench,” she said. “We noticed some specific behavior with the control bench. We would have liked to know why this occurred. Today, all the things is OK and clearly explained.” Alas, she didn’t explain what was explained.
A second try and conduct a brief hot fire test, for about 4 seconds, is planned for Tuesday, September 5. If all goes well, the European rocket officials said, a full-duration test lasting nearly eight minutes will occur in early October.