The European Ariane 6 rocket is due to make its first flight in 2024, a few years late. Despite everything, it’s finally time for the last test Thursday evening in Guyana.
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The first takeoff of Ariane 6 is expected in a few months. The rocket, which has fallen behind schedule, will perform a final crucial test on Thursday, November 23 evening in Kourou, Guyana. This involves testing the main engine of the new European rocket over time.
Before being able to give the start to the career of Ariane 6, awaited for years and even more since the retirement of Ariane 5 this summer, it was necessary to ensure that all the elements of the rocket and the step shooting worked perfectly.
Unfold the entire launch timeline
Everything was therefore tested separately, then together: the engine of the upper stage, the one which carries the satellites and which is new, the main engine, the connections between the rocket, the launch pad which was entirely built for this new Ariane and the tank filling process. So only this last test is missing. This last owner’s turn consists of unfolding the entire launch chronology, until the final countdown and the ignition of the main engine for eight minutes, i.e. its duration of use during a real takeoff.
150 tonnes of liquid oxygen and hydrogen, contained in the rocket, will be burned. If all goes well, the teams at Kourou will be able to congratulate each other and finally give a timetable for the first real launch. The European Space Agency is expected to say more at the very end of November. For the first time, in any case, this test will be broadcast on the website of the European Space Agency at www.esa.int from 9:10 p.m.