Ariane 6

ArianeGroup built the Ariane 5 rocket and increased its payload capacity by 85 kg as one of the last upgrades before its replacement by Ariane 6 in 2021.

EUMETSAT selected Arianespace for the launch of its MTG-I2 imaging satellite by confirming an option that was placed in July 2015 initially on Ariane 5 and will now use an Ariane 6.

Ariane 5 is retiring in 2022, prompting a shift of some MTG launches to Ariane 6.

ArianeGroup completed final assembly and functional acceptance tests of the Ariane 6 core stage at its Les Mureaux site.

Mars Sample Return planning includes a European-built orbiter that will be launched on an Ariane 6.

Arianespace projects three Ariane 6 launches in 2023 and plans a ramp to eight launches in 2024 and 10 to 12 launches in 2025.

PTS, a Berlin-based aerospace company, was selected by the European Space Agency to fly the company’s Curium One mission on the Ariane 6 maiden flight as early as 2022.

Ariane 6’s central core reached Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana on 2022-01-18 after traveling by boat from Europe.

ArianeGroup intends to use PHOEBUS to raise the maturity level of cryogenic composite technologies for the next Ariane 6 upper stage.

The European Space Agency sought a little more than 3,000,000,000 EUR for space transportation overall at the ministerial meeting, including 600,000,000 EUR for an Ariane 6 transition program.

The Ariane 6 program provides Europe with independent access to space for strategic missions and the flexibility to launch both heavy and light payloads to a wide range of orbits.

The Ariane 6 structures covered by the Airbus contract will be manufactured until 2025.

The Airbus contract will support ArianeGroup’s ramp up to full production rate of Ariane 6 by 2025.

The developments for Ariane 6 are funded and managed by the European Space Agency and implemented by ArianeGroup.

The European Space Agency funds and manages Ariane 6 developments and ArianeGroup implements the launcher system as prime contractor.

Viasat had a contract to launch its third ViaSat-3 on Arianespace’s Ariane 6 but Viasat is seeking a different launch vehicle following delays in Ariane 6’s entry into service.

A full launch sequence simulation for Ariane 6 was completed on 2023-07-18 in Kourou up to ignition of the Vulcain 2.1 engine thrust chamber.

The full Ariane 6 upper stage including the Vinci engine and a smaller Auxiliary Power Unit was tested on a purpose-built test bench at the German Aerospace Center DLR’s engine test center in Lampoldshausen, Germany.

Amazon awarded contracts in April 2022 to Arianespace, Blue Origin, and United Launch Alliance for up to 83 launches of Ariane 6, New Glenn, and Vulcan Centaur rockets to deploy the 3,236-satellite Project Kuiper constellation.

Arianespace will launch a small geostationary communications satellite for Intelsat on an Ariane 6 in 2026.