Ariane 6 central core used for testing as it leaves the launcher sssembly building, known in French as the Bâtiment Assemblage Lanceurs, BAL, to the launch pad ELA-4 on 11 July 2022 at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
This functioning central core was used for testing Europe’s heavy-lift rocket. Under the purple protective covering is Ariane 6’s main engine, Vulcain 2.1, which was ignited multiple times on the launch pad to test the complete launch system so the operations’ team at ArianeGroup, France’s space agency CNES, and ESA could fine-tune operations and control software. Five countdown runs where done whereby the Ariane 6 was loaded with cryo-propellants.
Ariane 6 is the next rocket in a long history of launchers to fly from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana – demonstrating the power of multinational cooperation for over five decades.