🚀The end of Europe’s rocket crisis?

It’s been a long time coming. Arianespace’s Ariane 6 rocket was originally expected to fly in 2020, long before Ariane 5 flew to space for the last time.

Instead, a long string of delays left Europe without an operational launch vehicle, forcing the European Space Agency (ESA) to turn to SpaceX for key launches.

Europe has faced a rocket crisis, with ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher stating over a year ago that “from mid-2023, we do not have guaranteed access to space for European launches.”

The launch of Ariane 6 could be just around the corner, and a lot is riding on its success.

Reading Time: 4 Minutes

Did a friend forward this e-mail to you? Subscribe here

Subscribe to IE+: Your VIP pass to the universe of aerospace! Exclusive weekly content: Interviews, deep dives. Join the astronaut crew: Share your spacefaring dreams, discuss breakthroughs, and connect with fellow space nerds - and it is Ad-Free. Subscribe here

INDUSTRY UPDATES

🛩️Sky OV: ‘Wingless’ hydrogen-powered jet could fly at supersonic speeds

✈️UK begins program to develop first indigenous hypersonic missile

🇺🇸US firm unveils new 500 mph speeding, missile and cargo carrying drone

🧑‍✈️60-year-old pilot conducts ‘textbook’ belly landing at Australian airport

✈️Boeing is troubleshooting a small helium leak on the Starliner spacecraft

🌕India plans Chandrayaan-4 moon sample return, will involve private sector

🇨🇦88-pound piece of SpaceX spacecraft debris crashes on a farm in Canada

🚀AT&T challenges SpaceX’s space-based broadband dominance with new deal

AEROSPACE ENGINEERING SPOTLIGHT

Ariane 6 could finally fly in June

Ariane 6 could finally fly for the first time in June or July. If it does take to the skies, it will bring an end to Europe’s rocket crisis of the last year.

The continent has been without a launch vehicle ever since Ariane 5 flew for the last time in July 2023.

Ariane 6’s maiden launch is expected to take place between mid-June and the end of July. In February this year, the rocket arrived at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana to undergo pre-launch preparations.

In a recent interview with IFL Science, Dr Josef Aschbacher, ESA Director General, said: “Ariane 5 was really the workhorse of Europe to bring heavy and medium-sized satellites into space. Ariane 6 will be more modern, will be cheaper, and more versatile. That means it has more flexibility to leave satellites in different orbits.”

Though Ariane 6 was developed to be more powerful and more affordable than Ariane 5, the rocket is not reusable. This means it won’t give Europe an edge over SpaceX. Still, the launch of Ariane 6 will finally bring space launch capabilities back to the continent.

The heavy-lift rocket is configurable in two variations – the 62 with two restartable Vinci engines and the 64 with four of the engines.

The Vinci engines used on Ariane 6’s upper stage were designed and developed by Arianespace. It is a cryogenic liquid rocket engine that was considered by NASA for the upper stage of its Space Launch System (SLS).

The rocket’s core stage cryogenic engine is called the Vulcain 2.1. It is fueled by liquid oxygen–hydrogen and it delivers 1371 kN of thrust in a vacuum to power Ariane 6 off the launch pad and throughout the first eight minutes of flight, up to an altitude of 200 km. According to ESA, it weighs the same as an Airbus A318 engine, but is ten times more powerful.

When Ariane 6 does eventually take to the skies, it will have a big legacy to live up to. Over its entire lifetime, Ariane 5 performed 112 successful launches, one of which sent the James Webb Space Telescope into space. ESA and Arianespace expect Ariane 6 to exceed this number, though they are already planning for a future in which Europe has reusable rockets at its disposal.

AERO BULLETIN

Ending Europe’s Arianespace overreliance

The dry patch for European rocket launches since the last flight of Ariane 5 has shown that ESA and Europe is far too reliant on a single space contractor.

ESA has taken a leaf out of NASA’s book by bolstering the continent’s private sector. Here are some of the companies set to be big players in Europe’s future launch industry.

PLD Space

Spanish rocket startup PLD Space launched a suborbital rocket from southern Spain last year. Next, it aims to fly its orbital Miura 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

The Miura 5 rocket could launch as soon as next year, and it is designed to accommodate payloads of up to 540 kg and propel them to a sun-synchronous orbit.

Orbex

Both PLD Space and Scottish company Orbex recently penned an agreement with Arianespace to help boost Europe’s space sector. Orbex aims to make satellite launches more sustainable by using green.

In a 2022 interview, former Orbex CEO Chris Larmour explained that the company’s launch vehicle, called Prime, could reduce carbon emissions by 90 percent over other rockets by using ultra-low-carbon bio-propane as a fuel.

HyImpulse

German space firm HyImpulse launched its SR75 rocket from the Koonibba Test Range in Australia this month. Much like Orbex, HyImpulse is developing a greener alternative to today’s small satellite launch vehicles.

The company stated that the launch was a success and it is still analyzing the raw data. SR75 joins the growing list of new European rockets that could alter the continent’s space industry for good.