Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

On October 21, the European Space Agency (ESA) and rocket manufacturer Ariane Group (Ariana Group) announced that the first launch of the much anticipated Ariane 6 (Ariana 6) heavy carrier rocket has been postponed again, from the end of 2022 to the end of 2023, and will compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX.

At a news conference on Thursday local time, ESA Director General Joseph Ashbach (Josef Aschbacher) announced that the first flight of Ariane 6 is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2023. But he also warned that the date could still be changed eventually.

The Ariane 6, which is 197ft tall, was recently pushed to the launch pad of the European Spaceport in French Guiana. The launch vehicle can launch a 4.5t payload to the SSO (800km above sea level) and 10.5t payload to the geosynchronous transfer orbit (GEO).

The rocket will replace its predecessor, the Ariane 5, which has stopped production. However, this ambitious project has been delayed many times. The launch of Ariane 6 was originally scheduled for 2020, but was delayed until the end of 2022 because of the epidemic. ESA did not elaborate on the reasons for the delay, saying only that it had encountered a "technical challenge".

Daniel Neuschwalt (Daniel Neuenschwander), director of space transportation at ESA, said the latest delays were caused by several factors, including the introduction of new power units and delays in testing and developing a robotic arm project to assist rockets with refueling at the launch pad.

It is reported that the delay will add another 600 million euros to the already high cost of the Ariane 6 project, and the current R & D cost is close to 4 billion euros. However, it will also help enhance the rocket's capabilities, including providing it with a reusable second stage, as well as self-developed manned space capabilities.

"for a project of this scale, it needs to be clear that this is only a planned date and that the project still needs to continue to move forward and achieve some key milestones in a timely manner," Ashbach said at a news conference. to make this schedule effective. "

According to ESA, in order to ensure that Ariane 6 can take off by the end of 2023, the project must reach three key milestones in the first quarter of next year, including the completion of superior thermal ignition testing, the commencement of Ariane 6 core-level thermal ignition testing and the qualification of launch systems.

ESA needs Ariane 6 to be launched as soon as possible, and its launch is even scheduled for 2029. Earlier this year, Amazon scheduled 18 launches of the Ariane 6 to send its space-connected satellites to low-Earth orbit. In addition, Ariane 6 is also expected to be used to launch Galileo Global Navigation Satellite system (multiple launches from 2023 to 2025), weather satellites (2024), Earth return orbiter for Mars sample return missions (2026) and launch of the Plato Space Telescope (2026).

To meet these launch requirements, Ariane Group is manufacturing more Ariane 6 in French and German plants, and the components of these rockets have been ordered for use in the upcoming flight. "it is very important to ensure that Europe can go into space independently, and we are all fully committed to advancing the launch as soon as possible," Ashbach said. "

"Competition is intensifying, but the good news is that the market is also growing," said St é phane Isra ë l, chief executive of Arianespace, a subsidiary of Ariane Group. We think the market for Ariane 6 and Vega (light rockets) will reach 4 billion euros a year over the next decade, far exceeding the 2 billion euros per year between 2010 and 2020. "

Andr é-Hubert Roussel, chief executive of Ariane Group, said Ariane 6 would be able to compete with Mr Musk's SpaceX, although it still lags behind in reusable technology.

Russell revealed that although the Ariane 6 does not have the cost-cutting technology of SpaceX, it may end up being launched every two weeks. Ariane Group plans to make its first launch attempt at the end of 2023 and its first commercial launch in 2024. "Ariane 6 is a guarantee for Europe's independent access to space," he said.

In recent years, with the emergence of reusable technology, SpaceX has changed the commercial satellite and spacecraft launch market. This technology has helped to significantly reduce production costs and increase the transmission frequency. Musk tweeted on Thursday that SpaceX had carried out 48 launches so far in 2022.

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