2023-11-26 17:10:13
At the Kourou launch pad, French Guiana, this Ariane 6 test model was subjected to a combined hot fire (CTHF) test before launch – for seven minutes of ‘hot fire’ of its main stage Vulcain 2.1. This engine, in an actual flight, would work with the thrusters to propel the 62m-tall rocket out of Earth and into space. Credit: ESA – CNES – Arianespace – ArianeGroup / Optique Vidéo du CSG – P. PIRON
ESA’s new Ariane 6 rocket successfully completed a major rehearsal on November 23 in preparation for its first flight, when ground teams completed a full launch countdown followed by a full seven-minute firing of the main stage motor, as it should. fire during a space launch.
For this rehearsal, the thrusters were not ignited and Ariane 6 therefore remained securely on the launch pad of the European Spaceport in French Guiana, as planned.
The engine fire test recreates how the Ariane 6 core stage will fire during a normal flight in space. Once completed, the main engine would shut down and the core stage would separate from the upper stage, which would then take over propulsion and accomplish its mission.
For the November 23 combined hot-fire test, the rocket remained firmly on the ground, but its upgraded engine burned 150,000 kg of supercooled liquid oxygen and hydrogen over the duration of an actual flight. Not only was the core stage tested, but every aspect of the launch pad and operations were also tested, from the delicate procedure of refueling the main engine and the orbital stage stacked above to testing the thermal effects of a launch on mechanical and electrical components. Components. Credit: ESA
Longest “Full-Stack” Runtime
The test, carried out with a test model on the launch pad of the European spaceport in French Guiana, was the longest “full-stack” test ever carried out for the lower liquid propulsion module of Ariane 6 equipped with a Vulcain 2.1 engine.
“The teams from ArianeGroup, CNES and ESA have now completed all stages of the rocket’s flight without it leaving Earth,” says Josef Aschbacher, Director General of ESA.
“This landmark rehearsal comes following years of design, planning, preparation, construction and hard work by some of Europe’s best space engineers. We are back on track to restore Europe’s autonomous access to space. Congratulations to all participants! »
Vulcan Shot 2.1. Credit: ESA/ArianeGroup/CNES – CSG video optics
Vulcain 2.1 engine
The Vulcain 2.1 engine burned nearly 150 tonnes of fuel in the Ariane 6 core stage tanks – liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, the latter supercooled at temperatures below -250°C . Vulcain 2.1 is an evolution of the Vulcain 2 engine which made Ariane 5 the most efficient launch system in Europe to date. The upgrade has a simplified and less expensive design, and the new technology of the engine nozzle and ignition system has been moved from the engine to the launch pad structure, to make the stage more efficient and less expensive .
Ariane 6 plume during a combined hot fire test. Credit: ESA – CNES – Arianespace – ArianeGroup / Optique Vidéo du CSG – P. PIRON
Launch pad operations
It took just over two hours and required teams of people and delicate operations to load the rocket’s central core with fuel. The filling operations were carried out during a lengthy countdown that included further qualification tests, similar to previous rehearsals this year. For the sake of fidelity and to ensure the stability of the launcher, the upper stage tanks were also powered – even if the upper stage engine only starts once in orbit following separation from the main stage and was therefore not fired during this ground test.
The launch pad – operated by French space agency CNES – used its water deluge system to temper engine heat.
ESA Space Transportation Director Toni Tolker-Nielsen added his vote of confidence in the teams across Europe working to commission Ariane 6: “A huge thank you to all our dedicated colleagues who are committed and working tirelessly to see this rocket fly. .”
The test followed a shorter burn test in September (known as CTLO1) when Ariane 6’s tanks were filled and its Vulcain 2.1 engine briefly turned on and off, and the fill and drain test run in October (known as CTLO2.1) to verify the launch of system functions such as fuel draining in the presence of multiple simulated failures.
A final hot fire test of the upper stage is in preparation and planned for December 2023 at the German Aerospace Center, DLR, Lampoldshausen test center.
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