Arianespace’s Ariane 6
Arianespace, in partnership with the European Space Agency, has been working on the Ariane 6 expendable launch system for nearly a decade. Once ready—hopefully during the fourth quarter of 2023 or early 2024—the 197-foot-tall (60-meter) rocket will come in two configurations, either with two or four strap-on solid rocket boosters. The lower stage’s Vulcain 2.1 engine runs on a liquid hydrogen-oxygen mixture, as does the Vinci upper stage. Ariane 6 has enough power to lift 10.3 metric tons to low Earth orbit.
Arianespace needs to get this rocket flying, as the backlog of pre-booked flights looks intense. In addition to several European Space Agency missions, the list of customers includes Intelsat, ViaSat, and Amazon, the latter needing the rocket to deliver its Kuiper internet satellites to orbit. Compounding the situation in Europe is the recent failure of Arianespace’s Vega-C rocket, which failed during its second orbital mission in December. A faulty nozzle was cited as the cause, but it’s not yet clear when Vega-C will fly again.
