Ariane 6 | |
---|---|
European launch vehicle under development | |
Has use | Medium-heavy launch vehicle |
Manufacturer | ArianeGroup |
Country of origin | European Space Agency |
Project cost | €3.6 billion[1] |
Cost per launch | €75 million (Ariane 62) €115 million (Ariane 64)[2][3] |
Size | |
Height | 63 m (207 ft) |
Diameter | 5.4 m (18 ft) |
Mass | 530,000–860,000 kg (1,170,000–1,900,000 lb) |
Stages | 2 |
Capacity | |
Payload to LEO | |
Mass | A64: 21,650 kg (47,730 lb) A62: 10,350 kg (22,820 lb)[4] |
Payload to GTO | |
Orbital inclination | 6° |
Mass | A64: 11,500 kg (25,400 lb) A62: 4,500 kg (9,900 lb)[4] |
Payload to GEO | |
Orbital inclination | 0° |
Mass | A64: 5,000 kg (11,000 lb)[4] |
Payload to SSO | |
Orbital inclination | 97.4° |
Mass | A64: 15,500 kg (34,200 lb) A62: 7,200 kg (15,900 lb)[4] |
Payload to LTO | |
Mass | A64: 8,600 kg (19,000 lb) A62: 3,500 kg (7,700 lb)[4] |
Associated rockets | |
Family | Ariane |
Comparable | Vulcan Centaur, H3, Titan IV, Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy (reusable) |
Launch history | |
Status | In Development |
Launch sites | Centre Spatial Guyanais |
First flight | Q4 2023 (planned)[5] |
Boosters – Equipped Solid Rocket | |
No. boosters | 2 or 4 |
Diameter | 3 m (9.8 ft) |
Propellant mass | 142,000 kg (313,000 lb) |
Powered by | P120 |
Maximum thrust | 4,650 kN (1,050,000 lbf) each |
Core stage – Lower Liquid Propulsion Module | |
Diameter | 5.4 m (18 ft) |
Propellant mass | 140,000 kg (310,000 lb) |
Powered by | Vulcain 2.1 |
Maximum thrust | 1,370 kN (310,000 lbf) |
Propellant | LH2 / LOX |
Upper stage – Upper Liquid Propulsion Module | |
Diameter | 5.4 m (18 ft) |
Propellant mass | 31,000 kg (68,000 lb) |
Powered by | Vinci |
Maximum thrust | 180 kN (40,000 lbf) |
Propellant | LH2 / LOX |
Ariane 6 is a European expendable launch system. In 2023, it was being developed. It has been in development since the early 2010s by ArianeGroup. They were creating it for the European Space Agency (ESA). The system was being built to replace the Ariane 5. The stated reason for Ariane 6 was that is was half the cost of Ariane 5. The new system would also increase the maximum number of launches each year from six or seven to up to eleven.[6]
Ariane 6 is designed with two core stages. They are both powered by liquid hydrogen-liquid oxygen (hydrolox) engines. The first stage has a version of the Vulcain engine that is used on the Ariane 5. The second stage has a new design of the Vinci engine. Most of the lift-off thrust comes from solid rocket boosters attached to the first stage. There are two P120s on the Ariane 62 and four on the Ariane 64 variants. These are larger versions of the P80s used on the Vega rocket.
Two versions of Ariane 6 are being created:
When it comes to Ariane 64, we are at around US$90 to US$100 million, as opposed to Ariane 5, which is in terms of cost, around US$200 million. You see with the effort we're making, we want to reduce the cost around 40/50%, which is very ambitious.