ESA receives money for development of Ariane 6 launcher
ESA members decided at an EU meeting to develop a new missile. This should replace the Ariane 5. The Ariane 6 should be cheaper to build and the cost of using the rocket should also be reduced.
The ESA members have collected a total of 5.92 billion euros to finance various projects of the European Space Agency in the coming years. One of these is the development of the Ariane 6, a new launch vehicle that will replace the Ariane 5. The new rocket should enable cheaper launches. The decision to develop the Ariane 6 was not certain, because Germany previously argued for an upgrade of the Ariane 5. 4.3 billion euros has been earmarked for the development.
According to the ESA, a successor to the old but reliable Ariane 5 is desperately needed because the price for launches in the US is falling due to the arrival of SpaceX, a company that was founded in 2013 by Elon Musk. A SpaceX launch costs about 50 million euros, while the budget for each Ariane 5 rocket that is launched is around 130 million euros. The Ariane 6 should be able to launch two satellites for around 90 million euros and thus improve its position for the European space program.
The Ariane 6 is scheduled to make its maiden flight in 2020, according to the ESA. A consortium is being set up for this purpose by Airbus Group and engine builder Safran. Depending on the mission, the launcher must be able to be equipped with two or four rocket engines. For the rocket, which will have a height of 63 meters, a new rocket engine will be developed that is also suitable for an improved version of the Vega, a lighter rocket used by the ESA to launch small satellites into orbit around the Earth. bring.
The preliminary proposal for the Ariane 6 concerns a three-stage rocket with variable specifications. Depending on the payload and the trajectory in which it is to be placed, the missile can have an A62 or A64 configuration. The lighter A62 version is equipped with two solid rocket boosters for the second stage, while the A64 version has four such SRBs. The first stage is based on a Vulkan engine with liquid oxygen and hydrogen. The third stage is based on the current third stage of the Ariane 5 rocket and is a Vinci engine that again runs on liquid hydrogen and oxygen.
The Ariane 6 rocket will carry payloads up to 4.6 meters in diameter. The A62 configuration can carry a single satellite, while the more powerful A64 version can carry two smaller or one heavier satellite: the payload would be up to 10 tons. The missiles can be used for delivery to low orbits for communication purposes and geostationary orbits.