Very late on the initial schedules, the inaugural flights of Vega C and Ariane 6 should take place this year. While there is little doubt that Vega C, Arianespace’s future light launcher, will be launched in early July, uncertainty is in order for Ariane 6. Let’s be optimistic, whether Ariane 6 takes off at the end of 2022 or in the first weeks of 2023, the main thing is that it takes off!
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According to the words of Vivian Quenet, General Manager of Arianespace and Head of Sales for the Asia-Pacific region, reported by the website SpaceNewsArianespace plans to to carry out the maiden flight of the launchers Vega C and Ariane 6 respectively “the first week of July” and “towards the end of the year” “. If there is little doubt that Vega C will actually be launched in the first days of July, on the other hand there is uncertainty concerning Ariadne 6.
We were unable to contact Arianespace to confirm this schedule.
The Vega C flight will only be the second launch of the year for Arianespace, after that of Ariane 5 which should take off on June 22 with two telecommunications satellites on board. The launch of Vega C will be very popular. Not only by the Avio teams who are developing it, but also by those of Ariane 6 because its main stage, the P120C will also equip the launchers of the Ariane 6 family. Indeed, it will equip both Ariane 6, in its versions Ariane 62 with two boosters and Ariane 64 with four boosters.
You should know that this stage, developed jointly by ArianeGroup and Avio, is the largest thruster monolithic powder in carbon fiber in the world. He was successfully tested several times at the Guiana Space Center, on the Powder Accelerator Test Bench (BEAP).
Combined tests for Ariane 6
Concerning the preparation of Ariane 6, it is following its course. The main floor and the upper floor of the launcher intended for combined tests on the launch pad arrived at the Guiana Space Center at the beginning of the year. This will be the first time that the new launcher and its launch pad will be tested together. The objective of these combined tests is to test all the interfaces and the correct communications between the rocket and ground facilities.
During these tests, the Vulcan 2.1 engine of Ariane 6 will be tested several times. As Cnes points out, these tests ” will consist of several standard ignitions carried out at the end of a real chronology, including a long test durationWhere long firing testreproducing a full flight with a launcher model remaining on the ground, during which the engine will run until the tanks are emptied of all their propellant “.
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