Is Europe’s rocket crisis over?

Is Europe’s launch crisis over? The continent has had no working rocket for just over a year, but that finally changed with the launch of ArianeSpace’s much-delayed Ariane 6 rocket launch this week.

China, meanwhile, is starting development on the world’s largest seaplane, the AG600. Let’s look at some of the largest aircraft ever built.

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AEROSPACE ENGINEERING SPOTLIGHT

Ariane 6 launch boosts Europe’s space industry

Europe last launched a rocket built on the continent in July last year. The last launch of Arianespace’s Ariane 5 saw the continent lose its access to space – unless it was willing to pay SpaceX vast sums.

Now, Europe finally has its own working rocket again. The heavy-lift Ariane 6 lifted off on Tuesday from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

Ariane 6 was designed to lower the cost per launch compared to Ariane 5. It features a modular design that will help it carry out missions to either low-Earth orbit or deeper into space.

“A completely new rocket is not launched often, and success is far from guaranteed,” said ESA’s Director General Josef Aschbacher in an Arianespace statement. “I am privileged to have witnessed this historic moment when Europe’s new generation of the Ariane family lifted off – successfully – effectively reinstating European access to space.”

The inaugural launch, designated VA262, was a demonstration flight, and ESA has stated that it was a success. Its purpose was to show off the rocket’s capability. However, VA262 also delivered a payload of satellites into an orbit 600 km above Earth.

Though the launch was overall a success, the mission did experience an anomaly almost three hours after launch. This stopped the rocket from reentering the atmosphere as intended, though it happened after Ariane 6 had deployed its satellites.

Ariane 6’s operators already have a number of high-profile contracts in place, including one to help Amazon launch its Starlink-rivaling satellite internet service, Project Kuiper. 

The two-stage rocket uses a combination of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen on both stages, similar to NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For VA262, it launched in the “Ariane 62” configuration, meaning it used two solid rocket boosters, each producing roughly 787,000 lbs of thrust at launch.

AERO BULLETIN

The world’s largest planes

At the end of last week, reports emerged that China had commenced batch production of the world’s largest amphibious aircraft, the AG600.

The seaplane is the largest aircraft in its class, and it will significantly boost China’s aerial and maritime capabilities. Here are a few of the world’s largest aircraft.

Antonov An-225

The Antonov An-225 Mriya was a strategic airlift cargo aircraft designed and developed by the Antonov Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. It was destroyed during the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. 

The Antonov An-225 was originally designed to carry Buran spacecraft for the Soviet Union. It was powered by six turbofan engines and was the largest commercially used freighter in the world.

Stratolaunch’s ‘The Roc’

Stratolaunch’s carrier aircraft, nicknamed ‘The Roc,’ was originally designed to launch satellites into orbit. However, the company came close to bankruptcy, leading it to alter its business model. 

The aircraft will now serve as a testbed for hypersonic technologies. Its wings measure 385 feet across, making it longer than a professional American football field. Its twin fuselages are 238 feet long. It is powered by six Pratt & Whitney PW4056 engines.

The AG600

The AG600 uses four WJ-6 turboprop engine on its wings. The WJ-6 is based on the Soviet AI-20 series from the 1950s. The aircraft was designed to meet the need for an emergency rescue aircraft for maritime searches.

The development of the AG600 forms a part of China’s concerted efforts to boost its aviation capabilities with a series of domestically made aircraft.