The European Area Company’s Ariane 6 rocket efficiently accomplished a costume rehearsal on Thursday, test-firing its engine in preparation for a maiden voyage scheduled for 2024.
The ultimate outcomes of the ignition take a look at, which concerned firing up the Vulcain 2.1 engine and working it for greater than seven minutes, is not going to be launched till November 30, pending a full evaluation.
However producer ArianeGroup already referred to as the rehearsal “efficiently accomplished”.
The new-fire take a look at at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana “simulated a whole launch sequence and thus validated the complete flight phase of Ariane 6’s core stage,” it mentioned in an announcement after Thursday’s rehearsal.
ArianeGroup CEO Martin Sion praised the staff for the “actual industrial feat”, however added that “just a few further exams”, notably fault tolerance, had been nonetheless wanted earlier than the rocket was prepared for launch.
The rocket’s workhorse predecessor, the Ariane 5, blasted off for the final time in July after 27 years of launches.
With the smaller Vega C grounded following a launch failure in December and Russia withdrawing space cooperation in response to Ukraine sanctions, the ESA has been left with out an unbiased method to space till it will possibly get the Ariane 6 prepared.
The launcher market, in the meantime, has been more and more dominated by billionaire Elon Musk’s US agency SpaceX.
“This take a look at is a key milestone that comes after years of design, planning, preparation, building and onerous work by a few of Europe’s absolute best space engineers,” mentioned Josef Aschbacher, director common of the ESA.
“We’re again on observe to re-establish Europe’s autonomous entry to space.”
© 2023 AFP
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Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket efficiently completes hot-fire take a look at (2023, November 24)
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