Join the people working on Ariane 6 – preparing for the combined hot-fire test that saw Europe’s next heavy-lift rocket fire its main engine for over seven minutes. Space Team Europe invites you behind the scenes at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana to learn about one of the last tests before launch.
ESA’s new Ariane 6 rocket passed a major full-scale rehearsal today in preparation for its first flight, when teams on the ground went through a complete launch countdown followed by a seven-minute full firing of the core stage’s engine, as it would fire on a launch into space.
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 performed during a long countdown that included other qualification tests. For fidelity and to guarantee launcher stability, the upper stage tanks were also fuelled – even though the upper stage engine only kicks in once in orbit after separation from the main stage and so was not fired during this ground test.
The launch pad – operated by France’s space agency CNES – used its water deluge system to temper the heat from the engine.
The engine-fire trial reenacted how the Ariane 6 core stage will fire during a normal flight into space. Once complete the main engine would shut down and the core stage would separate from the upper stage, which would then take over propulsion and complete its mission.