This two-stage rocket utilizes liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen (hydrolox) engines. The first stage features an upgraded Vulcain engine from Ariane 5,while the second uses the Vinci engine,designed specifically for this rocket. The Ariane 62 variant uses two P120C solid rocket boosters,while Ariane 64 uses four. The P120C booster is shared with Europe's other launch vehicle,Vega C,and is an improved version of the P80 rocket stage used on the original Vega.
Selected in December 2014 over an all-solid-fuel option,Ariane 6 was originally targeted for a 2020 launch. However,the program encountered delays,with the first launch occurring on 9 July 2024. The second launch has been delayed from a December 2024 target date to 1Q2025,per Arianespace in November 2024.[6]
Ariane 6 was designed to halve launch costs and increase annual capacity from seven to eleven missions compared to its predecessor,[needs update] but the program has faced controversy over high costs and lack of reusability versus competitors' rockets,such as SpaceX's Falcon 9. European officials defend the program,saying it provides crucial independent space access for its member states.
Description
Two variants of Ariane 6 are offered:
Ariane 62 (A62),with two P120C solid boosters,weighs around 530,000kg (1,170,000lb) at liftoff and is mainly for government and scientific missions.[7] It can launch up to 4,500kg (9,900lb) into geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) and 10,350kg (22,820lb) into low Earth orbit (LEO). The first launch in 2024 used this variant.
Ariane 64 (A64),with four P120C boosters,has a liftoff weight of around 860,000kg (1,900,000lb)[8] and is intended for commercial dual-satellite launches[7] of up to 11,500kg (25,400lb) into GTO and 21,500kg (47,400lb) into LEO. Like Ariane 5,it will be able to launch two geosynchronous satellites together.
First stage
The first (lower) stage of Ariane 6 is called the Lower Liquid Propulsion Module (LLPM). It is powered by a single Vulcain 2.1 engine fueled by liquid hydrogen (LH2) with liquid oxygen (LOX).[9] The LLPM is 5.4m (18ft) in diameter and contains approximately 140 tonnes (310,000lb) of propellant.[10]
Boosters
Additional thrust for the first stage will be provided by either two or four P120C model solid rocket boosters,known within Ariane 6 nomenclature as Equipped Solid Rockets (ESR).[9] Each booster contains approximately 142,000 kilograms (313,000lb) of propellant and delivers up to 4,650kN (1,050,000lbf) of thrust. The P120C engine is also used in the first stage of the upgraded Vega C launcher. By sharing motors,production volumes can be increased,lowering production costs.[11] The first full-scale test of the ESR occurred at Kourou,French Guiana,on 16 July 2018,and the test completed successfully with thrust reaching 4,615kN (1,037,000lbf) in vacuum.[12][13][14]
Second stage
The second (upper) stage of Ariane 6 is called the Upper Liquid Propulsion Module (ULPM). It shares the same 5.4m (18ft) diameter as the LLPM,and is also fueled by LH2 and LOX. It is powered by the Vinci engine,which delivers 180kN (40,000lbf) of thrust,burns for up to 900 seconds and is capable of up to five restarts.[15] The ULPM carries about 31 tonnes (68,000lb) of propellant.[11]
Block 2
The more powerful Block 2 version of Ariane 6 is planned to enter service in 2026. It will use more powerful P160C model solid rocket boosters and increase thrust of the Vinci engine in the upper stage to 200 kN. This will expand the flight envelope and greatly increase its payload capabilities,with an expected gain of two tons to LEO. [16]
Development began in 2022 on the P120C+ variant of the boosters,which eventually evolved into the P160C. This extended version adds 1 metre (3ft 3in) to the motor's length and an additional 14 tonnes (14 long tons;15 short tons) of propellant.[17] This upgrade translates to approximately 2 tonnes (4,400lb) improvement in lift performance on the Ariane 64 with four boosters.[18] 16 of the planned 18 Kuiper launches by Ariane 6 will utilize this enhanced booster.[18]
CNES is providing assistance in adapting the current launch pad in Kourou to accommodate these more powerful A62 and A64 versions.[19]
Block 3
An additional Block 3 upgrade is being discussed by the European Space Agency,ArianeGroup and CNES. Increased performance will primarily be achieved via an upgraded upper stage.[16]
The impetus for the upgrade is a number of upcoming lunar missions,including the European Argonaut logistics lunar lander project. A decision is expected during the November 2025 European ministerial meeting.
History
Ariane 6 was conceived in the early 2010s to be a replacement launch vehicle for Ariane 5,and a number of concepts and high-level designs were suggested and proposed during 2012–2015. Development funding from several European governments was secured by early 2016,and contracts were signed to begin detailed design and the build of test articles. In 2019,the maiden orbital flight had been planned for 2020,[20] however by May 2020,the planned initial launch date was delayed into 2021.[21] In October 2020,the European Space Agency (ESA) formally requested an additional €230 million in funding from the countries sponsoring the project to complete development of the rocket and get the vehicle to its first test flight,which had slipped to the second quarter of 2022.[22] By June 2021,the date had delayed to late 2022.[23] In June 2022,a delay was announced to "some time in 2023"[24] and by October 2022,ESA clarified that the first launch would be no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2023,while providing no public reason for the delay.[25] In August 2023,ESA announced that the date for the first launch had slipped again to 2024.[26]
Concept and early development:2010–2015
Ariane 6 PPH cutaway drawing
Following detailed definition studies in 2012,[27] ESA announced in July 2013 the selection of the "PPH" (first stage of three P145 rocket motors,second stage of one P145 rocket motor,and H32 cryogenic upper stage) configuration for Ariane 6.[28] It would be capable of launching up to 6,500kg (14,300lb) to Geostationary transfer orbit (GTO),[29] with a first flight projected to be as early as 2021–2022.[30] Development was projected to cost €4 billion as of May2013[update].[31] A 2014 study concluded that development cost could be reduced to about €3 billion by limiting contractors to five countries.[32]
While Ariane 5 typically launches one large and one medium satellite at a time,the PPH proposal for Ariane 6 was intended for single payloads,with an early 2014 price estimate of approximately US$95 million per launch.[33] The SpaceXFalcon 9 and the ChineseLong March 3B both launch smaller payloads but at lower prices,approximately $57 million and $72 million respectively as of early 2014,making the Falcon 9 launch of a midsize satellite competitive with the cost of the lower slot of a dual payload Ariane 5.[33] For lightweight all-electric satellites,Arianespace intended to use the restartable Vinci engine to deliver the satellites closer to their operational orbit than the Falcon 9 could,thus reducing the time required to transfer to geostationary orbit by several months.[33]
Ariane 6.1 and Ariane 6.2 proposals
In June 2014,Airbus and Safran surprised ESA by announcing a counter proposal for the Ariane 6 project:a 50/50 joint venture to develop the rocket,which would also involve buying out the French government's CNES interest in Arianespace.[34][35]
This proposed launch system would come in two variants,Ariane 6.1 and Ariane 6.2.[36] While both would use a cryogenic main stage powered by a Vulcain 2 engine and two P145 solid boosters,Ariane 6.1 would feature a cryogenic upper stage powered by the Vinci engine and boost up to 8,500kg (18,700lb) to GTO,while Ariane 6.2 would use a lower-cost hypergolic upper stage powered by the Aestus engine. Ariane 6.1 would have the ability to launch two electrically powered satellites at once,while Ariane 6.2 would be focused on launching government payloads.
French newspaper La Tribune questioned whether Airbus Defence and Space could deliver on the promised costs for their Ariane 6 proposal,and whether Airbus and Safran Group could be trusted when they were found to be responsible for a failure of Ariane 5 flight 517 in 2002 and a more recent 2013 failure of the M51 ballistic missile.[37] The companies were also criticised for being unwilling to incur development risks,and asking for higher initial funding than originally planned–€2.6 billion instead of €2.3 billion. Estimated launch prices of €85 million for Ariane 6.1 and €69 million for Ariane 6.2 did not compare favorably to SpaceX offerings.[38] During the meeting of EU ministers in Geneva on 7 June 2014,these prices were deemed too high and no agreement with manufacturers was reached.[39]
Ariane 62 and Ariane 64 proposals
Originally proposed Ariane A62 and Ariane A64
Following criticism of the Ariane 6 PPH design,France unveiled a revised Ariane 6 proposal in September 2014.[40] This launcher would use a cryogenic main stage powered by the Vulcain 2 and upper stage powered by the Vinci,but vary the number of solid boosters. With two P120C boosters,Ariane 6 would launch up to 5,000kg (11,000lb) to GTO at a cost of €75 million. With four boosters,Ariane 6 would be able to launch two satellites totaling 11,000kg (24,000lb) to GTO at a cost of €90 million.[41]
This proposal,unlike Ariane 6 PPH,offered a scalable launcher while retaining Ariane 5's dual-launch capability. The proposal also included simplification of the industrial and institutional organisation along with a better and cheaper version of the Vulcain 2 engine for the main stage.[40][41] Although Ariane 6 was projected to have "lower estimated recurring production costs",it was projected to have "a higher overall development cost owing to the need for a new,Ariane 6-dedicated,launch pad".[42]
The Italian,French,and German space ministers met on 23 September 2014,in order to plan strategy and assess the possibility for agreement on funding for the Ariane 5 successor,[43] and in December 2014,ESA selected the Ariane 62 and Ariane 64 designs for development and funding.[44]
In November 2015,an updated design of Ariane 64 and 62 was presented,with new nose cones on the boosters,main stage diameter increased to 5.4m (18ft),and the height decreased to 60m (200ft).[46]
The basic design for Ariane 6 was finalised in January 2016 as an expendable liquid-fuelled core stage plus expendable solid-rocket-boosters design. Development advanced into detailed design and production phases,with the first major contracts already signed.[47][48] Unlike previous Ariane rockets,which are assembled and fueled vertically before being transported to the launchpad,the Ariane 6 main stages were to be assembled horizontally at the new integration hall in Les Mureaux and then transported to French Guiana,to be erected and integrated with boosters and payload.[49]
The horizontal assembly process was inspired by the Russian tradition for Soyuz and Proton launchers–which had more recently been applied to the American Delta IV and Falcon 9 boosters[50]–with a stated goal of halving production costs.[51]
The industrial production process was completely overhauled,allowing synchronized workflow between several European production sites moving at a monthly cadence,which would enable twelve launches per year,doubling Ariane 5's yearly capacity.[49] To further lower the price,Ariane 6 engines were to use 3D printed components.[52] Ariane 6 was to be the first large rocket to use a laser ignition system developed by Austria's Carinthian Research Center (CTR),that was previously deployed in automotive and turbine engines.[53] A solid state laser offers an advantage over electrical ignition systems in that it is more flexible with regards to the location of the plasma within the combustion chamber,offers a much higher pulse power and can tolerate a wider range of fuel-air mixture ratios.[54]
Reorganisation of the industry behind a new launch vehicle,leading to the creation of Airbus Safran Launchers (ASL),also started a review by the French government into tax matters,and the European Commission over a possible conflict of interest if Airbus Defence and Space,a satellite manufacturer,were to purchase launches from ASL.[52]
While development was initially slated to be substantially complete in 2019,with an initial launch in 2020,the initial launch date has slipped several times:first to 2021,[55] then to 2022,[22][23] then to 2023,[24] and then to 2024.[56] In October 2022,Arianespace expected the maiden flight to occur in 2023,[25] although in December 2023,Arianespace once again set the flight to occur on 15 June 2024.[56] In June 2024,ESA Executive said its first launch was postponed to July 9th 2024.[57] The maiden flight VA262 took place 9 July 2024 and successfully orbited some satellites even though the mission did suffer some problems.
CNES began studies in 2010[58] on an alternative, reusable first stage for Ariane 6, using a mix of liquid oxygen and liquid methane rather than liquid hydrogen that is used in the 2016 Ariane 6 first-stage design. The methane-powered core could use one or more engines, matching capabilities of Ariane 64 with only two boosters instead of four. As of January2015[update], the economic feasibility of reusing an entire stage remained in question. Concurrent with the liquid fly-back booster research in the late 1990s and early 2000s, CNES along with Russia concluded studies[when?] indicating that reusing the first stage was economically unviable as manufacturing ten rockets a year was cheaper and more feasible than recovery, refurbishment and loss of performance caused by reusability.[59]
In June 2015, Airbus Defence and Space announced that Adeline, a partially reusable first stage, would become operational between 2025 and 2030, and that it would be developed as a subsequent first stage for Ariane 6. Rather than developing a way to reuse an entire first stage (like SpaceX), Airbus proposed a system where only high-value parts would be safely returned using a winged module at the bottom of the rocket stack.[58]
In August 2016, ASL gave some more details about future development plans building on the Ariane 6 design. CEO Alain Charmeau revealed that Airbus Safran were now working along two main lines: first, continuing work (at the company's own expense) on the recoverable Adeline engine-and-avionics module; and second, beginning development of a next-generation engine to be called Prometheus. This engine would have about the same thrust as the Vulcain 2 currently powering Ariane 5, but would burn methane instead of liquid hydrogen. Charmeau was non-committal about whether Prometheus (still only in the first few months of development) could be used as an expendable replacement for the Vulcain 2 in Ariane 6, or whether it was tied to the re-usable Adeline design, saying only that "We are cautious, and we prefer to speak when are sure of what we announce... But certainly this engine could very well fit with the first stage of Ariane 6 one day", a decision on whether to proceed with Prometheus in an expendable or reusable role could be made between 2025 and 2030.[60] Charmeau was not positive about reusability in 2018, stating that if Ariane had a launch schedule of ten flights per year and had a rocket that could be reused ten times, the company would only build one rocket per year, making supporting an ongoing manufacturing supply chain unviable ("I cannot tell my teams: 'Goodbye, see you next year!'"). Ariane would need 30 launches a year to justify the cost of researching reusability, he said.[61]
In 2017, the Prometheus engine project was revealed to have the aim of reducing the engine unit cost from the €10 million of the Vulcain2 to €1 million and allowing the engine to be reused up to five times.[62] The engine development is said to be part of a broader effort – codename Ariane NEXT[63] – to reduce Ariane launch costs by a factor of two beyond improvements brought by Ariane 6. The Ariane NEXT initiative includes a reusable sounding rocket, Callisto, to test the performance of various fuels in new engine designs.[64]
The European Space Agency is exploring human-rating certification for Ariane 6, awarding Arianespace a contract to explore potential options for enabling crewed missions to be launched aboard the vehicle.[65]
Production
In a January 2019 interview, Arianespace CEO Stéphane Israël said that the company would require four more institutional launches for Ariane 6 to sign a manufacturing contract. Launch contracts would be needed for the transitional period of 2020–2023 when Ariane 5 will be phased out and gradually replaced by Ariane 6. The company would require European institutions to become an anchor customer for the launcher. In response, ESA representatives said the agency was working on shifting the 2022 launch of the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer from Ariane 5 ECA to Ariane 64, further indicating that there are other institutional customers in Europe that must put their weight behind the project, such as the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) or the European Commission.
As of January2019[update], Arianespace had sold three flights of the Ariane 6 launch vehicle.[66] One month later, they added a satellite internet constellation launch contract with OneWeb to utilize the maiden launch of Ariane 6 to help populate the large 600-satellite constellation.[67]
On 6 May 2019, Arianespace ordered the first production batch of 14 Ariane 6 rockets.[68]
After the first 2 launches in 2024, the launch tempo will increase to 6 in 2025, 8 in 2026, and stabilize at 10 per year starting in 2027.[69]
Rocket components are transported by sea from Europe to the Guiana Space Centre aboard the Canopée, a cargo vessel that uses sails to assist with its propulsion, reducing fuel use.[70][71]
Development funding
This section needs expansionwith: how much has been the actual funding 2015–2024? and what amount came from each of the major government stakeholders? France? Germany? ... by country. You can help by adding to it. (October 2024)
Ariane 6 was developed in a public-private partnership with the majority of the funding coming from various ESA government sources. As of 2015[update], the estimated government development cost over the then planned 6-year development phase through 2020 was €2.815 billion of government-provided funds, while €400 million was reported to be "industry's share". At the time, in a novel approach for ESA, this was to be "an arrangement in which the [Airbus Safran] company takes full control of Ariane 6 design and development and commits to a firm, fixed-price contract"[72]
By the time the ESA Council approved the project in November 2016, the ESA had already paid out €688 million to Airbus Safran[73] and the ESA Industrial Policy Committee released €1.7 billion of additional funds on 8 November 2016.[74]
In January 2020, two EU institutions, the European Investment Bank and the European Commission, loaned €100 million to Arianespace, drawing from the Horizon 2020 and Investment Plan for Europe corporate investment programmes. The 10-year loan's repayment is tied to the financial success of the Ariane 6 project.[75][needs update]
Maiden flight of Ariane 6. It was a flight test carrying a mass simulator plus a number of small cubesats and other experiments as rideshare payloads. Rocket launched successfully to orbit and upper stage performed a second burn to release cubesats. During attempt to perform a third burn to deorbit the upper stage, the rocket's auxiliary propulsion system failed. This failure prevented the upper stage from relighting.[78][79][80][81]
Ariane 6 has been subject to criticism for its cost per launch and lack of reusability.
When initially approved by ESA in 2012, the rocket was envisioned as a modernized version of Ariane 5, optimized for cost. At the time, commercial competitors like SpaceX were already putting downward pressure on launch costs.[114][115] However, these companies had made few successful flights and had not yet proven that reusability would be economically beneficial, with the reusable Space Shuttle cited by some as an example to the contrary. In the more than a decade that Ariane 6 was in development, the project was delayed and went over budget. During that same time, SpaceX continued to iteratively develop its Falcon 9 rocket, nearly doubling its payload capacity and successfully landing rockets for reuse, making it more capable and far less costly than Ariane 6.[116][117][2]
European officials have defended Ariane 6 stating that its governments need access to space, independent from other states or private companies. They point to geopolitical events that cut off Europe's access to Russian Soyuz rockets in as an example of that need. They also defend the rocket's lack of reusability, arguing that it would not be economically viable given the rocket's fewer planned launches.[118][119]
The ESA's member states agreed to subsidize the rocket with up to €340 million annually from its 16th to its 42nd flight (expected in 2031) in return for an 11% discount on launches.[118][120]
Ariane 5 is a retired European heavy-lift space launch vehicle operated by Arianespace for the European Space Agency (ESA). It was launched from the Guiana Space Centre (CSG) in French Guiana. It was used to deliver payloads into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), low Earth orbit (LEO) or further into space. The launch vehicle had a streak of 82 consecutive successful launches between 9 April 2003 and 12 December 2017. Since 2014, Ariane 6, a direct successor system, first launched in 2024.
Arianespace SA is a French company founded in March 1980 as the world's first commercial launch service provider. It operates two launch vehicles: Vega C, a small-lift rocket, and Ariane 6, a medium-to-heavy-lift rocket. Arianespace is a subsidiary of ArianeGroup, a joint venture between Airbus and Safran.
An expendable launch system is a launch vehicle that can be launched only once, after which its components are either destroyed during reentry or discarded in space. ELVs typically consist of several rocket stages that are discarded sequentially as their fuel is exhausted and the vehicle gains altitude and speed. As of 2024, fewer and fewer satellites and human spacecraft are launched on ELVs in favor of reusable launch vehicles. However, there are many instances where a ELV may still have a compelling use case over a reusable vehicle. ELVs are simpler in design than reusable launch systems and therefore may have a lower production cost. Furthermore, an ELV can use its entire fuel supply to accelerate its payload, offering greater payloads. ELVs are proven technology in widespread use for many decades.
Ariane is a series of European civilian expendable launch vehicles for space launch use. The name comes from the French spelling of the mythological character Ariadne. France first proposed the Ariane project and it was officially agreed upon at the end of 1973 after discussions between France, Germany and the UK. The project was Western Europe's second attempt at developing its own launcher following the unsuccessful Europa project. The Ariane project was code-named L3S.
The Ariane 4 was a European expendable launch vehicle, developed by the Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES), the French space agency, for the European Space Agency (ESA). The manufacturing of the launch vehicle was led by Aérospatiale and it was marketed by Arianespace. Since its first flight on 15 June 1988 until the final flight on 15 February 2003, it attained 113 successful launches out of 116 total launches.
The Guiana Space Centre, also called Europe's Spaceport, is a spaceport to the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana, a overseas region of France in South America. Kourou is located approximately 500 kilometres north of the equator at a latitude of 5°. In operation since 1968, it is a suitable location for a spaceport because of its near equatorial location and open sea to the east and north.
Vega was an expendable small-lift launch vehicle operated by Arianespace, produced by Avio, and jointly developed by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the European Space Agency (ESA). Development began in 1998 and the first launch took place from the Guiana Space Centre on 13February 2012. It was the 8th most launched small lift launch vehicle in history. The final flight of the rocket took place on 5September 2024, after being replaced by the improved Vega C, already in use since 2022.
Safran S.A. is a French multinational aerospace, defence and security corporation headquartered in Paris. It designs, develops and manufactures both commercial and military aircraft engines; launch vehicle, spacecraft and missile propulsion systems; as well as various other aerospace and military equipment and devices. The company was founded in 2005 through a merger between SNECMA and SAGEM. Safran's subsequent acquisition of Zodiac Aerospace in 2018 significantly expanded its aeronautical activities.
Avio S.p.A. is an Italian company operating in the aerospace sector with its head office in Colleferro near Rome, Italy. Founded in 1908, it is present in Italy and abroad with different commercial offices and 10 production sites. Avio operates in:
Vulcain is a family of European first stage rocket engines for Ariane 5 and Ariane 6. Its development began in 1988 and the first flight was completed in 1996. The updated version of the engine, Vulcain 2, was first successfully flown in 2005. Both members of the family use liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen cryogenic fuel. The new version for Ariane 6 is called Vulcain 2.1.
P80 is a solid-fuel first-stage rocket motor used on the European Space Agency Vega rocket. It was the world's largest and most powerful one-piece solid-fuel rocket engine, being replaced by the larger P120C on 13 July 2022.
Space launch market competition is the manifestation of market forces in the launch service provider business. In particular it is the trend of competitive dynamics among payload transport capabilities at diverse prices having a greater influence on launch purchasing than the traditional political considerations of country of manufacture or the national entity using, regulating or licensing the launch service.
Soyuz at the Guiana Space Centre was a European Space Agency (ESA) programme that operated Soyuz-2 launch vehicles at the Guiana Space Centre (CSG). It provided Arianespace with a medium-lift launch vehicle alongside the light-lift Vega and heavy-lift Ariane 5. The rocket was marketed by Starsem a joint venture of ArianeGroup, Arianespace, Progress Rocket Space Centre and Roscosmos.
ArianeGroup is an aerospace company based in France. A joint venture between Airbus and Safran, the company was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris. It consists of three core groups: aerospace, defence, and security. ArianeGroup has developed its next-generation two-stage Ariane 6 launch vehicle, which succeeded the Ariane 5 rocket, that had more than 110 launches. The new vehicle offers two variants that will be capable of carrying between 10,350 and 21,650 kilograms. The first launch of Ariane 6 occurred on July 9 2024.
VegaC, or Vega Consolidation, is a European expendable, small-lift launch vehicle developed and produced by Avio. It is an evolution of the original Vega launcher, designed to offer greater launch performance and flexibility.
The Prometheus rocket engine is an ongoing European Space Agency (ESA) development effort begun in 2017 to create a reusable methane-fueled rocket engine for use on the Themis reusable rocket demonstrator and Ariane Next, the successor to Ariane 6, and possibly a version of Ariane 6 itself.
The P120C is a solid-fuel rocket motor designed for use as the first stage of the Vega-C and as the boosters of the Ariane 6 launch vehicles. The solid rocket motors were developed by Europropulsion, a joint venture of Avio and ArianeGroup, for the European Space Agency. The "C" in the name signifies its "Common" use across these vehicles.
Ariane Next—also known as SALTO —is a future European Space Agency rocket being developed in the 2020s by ArianeGroup. This partially reusable launcher is planned to succeed Ariane 6, with an entry into service in the 2030s. The objective of the new launcher is to halve the launch costs compared with Ariane 6. The preferred architecture is that of the Falcon 9 rocket while using an engine burning a mixture of liquid methane and liquid oxygen. The first technological demonstrators are under development.
↑ de Selding, Peter B. (24 May 2013). "With Ariane 6 Launch Site Selected, CNES Aims To Freeze Design of the New Rocket in July". Space News. Archived from the original on 10 July 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2013. Ariane 6 would fly in 2020 assuming a development go-ahead in 2014. CNES's Ariane 6 team is operating under the "triple-seven" mantra, meaning seven years' development, 7 metric tons of satellite payload to geostationary transfer orbit and 70 million euros in launch costs. CNES estimates that Ariane 6 would cost 4 billion euros to develop, including ESA's customary program management fees and a 20% margin that ESA embeds in most of its programs.
1 2 3 Svitak, Amy (10 March 2014). "SpaceX Says Falcon 9 To Compete For EELV This Year". Aviation Week. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014. As SpaceX and other launch contenders enter the sector – including new rockets in India, China and Russia – Europe is also investing in a midlife upgrade of Ariane 5, the Ariane 5 ME (Midterm Evolution), which aims to boost performance 20% with no corresponding increase in cost. At the same time, Europe is considering funding a smaller, less capable but more affordable successor to the heavy-lift launcher, Ariane 6, which would send up to 6,500kg (14,300lb) to GTO for around US$95 million per launch.
↑ de Selding, Peter (20 June 2014). "Airbus and Safran Propose New Ariane 6 Design, Reorganisation of Europe's Rocket Industry". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 10 July 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2022. European space-hardware builders Airbus and Safran have proposed that the French and European space agencies scrap much of their previous 18 months' work on a next-generation Ariane 6 rocket in favour of a design that includes much more liquid propulsion.
↑ "ISS Expected To Take Back Seat to Next-gen Ariane as Space Ministers Meet in Zurich". SpaceNews. 22 September 2014. Archived from the original on 10 July 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2015. The space ministers of France, Germany and Italy are scheduled to meet on September 23 in Zurich to assess how far they are from agreement on strategy and funding for Europe's next-generation Ariane rocket, upgrades to the light-lift Vega vehicle and — as a lower priority — their continued participation in the international space station. The meeting should give these governments a better sense of whether a formal conference of European Space Agency ministers scheduled for December 2 in Luxembourg will be able to make firm decisions, or will be limited to expressions of goodwill.
↑ Clark, Stephen (24 June 2015). "Ariane 6 rockets likely to be assembled horizontally". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2016. Officials said the preliminary plan calls for the Ariane 6 rocket to be integrated horizontally, a practice long used for Russian launchers and more recently adopted by United Launch Alliance's Delta 4 rocket family and SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.
↑ Clark, Stephen (16 December 2015). "Q&A with Stéphane Israël, chairman and CEO of Arianespace". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2022. When it comes to Ariane 64, we are at around US$90 to US$100 million, as opposed to Ariane 5, which is in terms of cost, around US$200 million. You see with the effort we're making, we want to reduce the cost around 40/50%, which is very ambitious.
↑ Guillermard, Véronique (13 August 2024). "Comment Ariane 6 s'est mise en ordre pour doubler la fréquence de ses vols". Le Figaro. Retrieved 27 September 2024. Some 6 rockets are currently at different stages of production, including the first A64, which is due to take off in the second half of 2025 to deploy a batch of more than 30 satellites on behalf of Kuiper, the Amazon constellation.
This Template lists historical, current, and future space rockets that at least once attempted (but not necessarily succeeded in) an orbital launch or that are planned to attempt such a launch in the future
Symbol † indicates past or current rockets that attempted orbital launches but never succeeded (never did or has yet to perform a successful orbital launch)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
