Ariane-6 Next Generation Launcher

[che wi]

The future rocket arises in AVIO

The world greatest monolithic motor at solid propellant all in carbon fiber is arising in AVIO at Colleferro (Rome).

Five times lighter and twice more resistant than steel, the carbon is the material with which AVIO realizes the Vega launcher and all engines of next generation. It is 12 m long, has a 3,5m as diameter, and it will contains 142 tons of propellant and it is the greatest ever built in Colleferro.

This is the first model of a family (P120C) that will equip both VEGA C and Ariane 6, the new European launchers whose maiden flights are planned in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Also it continues at full capacity construction of new plants that will accommodate production when it to be at regime.

[Salo]

 Caleb Henry‏ @CHenry_SN  3 мин.3 минуты назад
Arianespace's Stephane Israel: Planning 12 Ariane 6 launches a year. Higher cadence means lower price #satshow

[Salo]

http://spacenews.com/european-commission-commits-to-annual-minimums-for-ariane-6-vega-c/

European Commission commits to annual minimums for Ariane 6, Vega C
by Caleb Henry — April 5, 2017
 Elzbieta Bienkowska, the European Commission's lead space commissioner, speaking April 5 at the 33rd Space Symposium. Credit: Tom Kimmell
 
COLORADO SPRINGS — The European Commission will commit to buying at least five Ariane 6 and two Vega C launches per year when both rockets are in operation, Elzbieta Bienkowska, the European Commission's lead space commissioner, said Wednesday.
Airbus Safran Launchers and Arianespace have said that closing the business case for Ariane 6 and Vega C will require a firm government commitment to use the new rockets.
Speaking at the 33rd Space Symposium here, Bienkowska acknowledged that the European Commission had heard these concerns and would ensure European governments collectively serve as an anchor customer for the launchers.
"We will aggregate our institutional launches to support those two launchers," she said.
In an interview with SpaceNews after her speech, Bienkowska said this aggregated demand would support the annual five Ariane 6 and two Vega C launches that Ariane 6 prime contract Airbus Safran Launchers and launch provider Arianespace had pegged as the needed amount.
Ariane 6 is the successor to the Ariane 5 and Europeanized Soyuz; Vega C is an improved version of Vega, and will use the same first-stage engine as Ariane 6's strap-on boosters.
Bienkowska also said Europe's confidence in the suitability of Ariane 6 and Vega C, both of which are single-use rockets, remains unshaken by the early success of SpaceX and Blue Origin in demonstrating their reusable rockets.
"We observe very closely the ongoing revolution in the launcher market, especially here in the United States, around the principle of reusability," she said. "Europe's answer is the development of the next-generation of cost effective, reliable and competitive European launchers: Ariane 6 and Vega C."

Leveling the playing field
Europe has long envied the large number of government launches provided to domestic launch entities in the United States and in Russia — home to Arianespace's two biggest competitors: Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX and Moscow-based Khrunichev.
For the past three years, SpaceX has performed two to three launches annually for U.S. government customers, mainly NASA, and is starting to win military launch contracts following Air Force certification in 2015. Prior to certification, the Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture United Launch Alliance conducted nearly all U.S. military launches, often close to 10 per year, as well as some civil and commercial launches. Russia's Proton launches have been roughly half government, half commercial through Khrunichev's International Launch Services subsidiary.
"We are competing with launchers which are mostly dedicated to their domestic markets, which is a significant advantage, markets that most of the time are closed to other launchers," Arianespace CEO Stephane Israel told SpaceNews last month. "So it is absolutely normal that we organize institutional launches around European launchers."
"It is important, even vital for Ariane 6 and Vega C, to have this commitment from formal  European institutions," he added.
Israel said European government launches, at 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) annually, account for less than a third of Arianespace's 5-billion-euro contract backlog.  The U.S. launch market, according to Airbus Safran Launchers, is about 65-percent government demand. For  Russia's launch industry, the figure is closer to 76 percent.
Israel said a guarantee of annual launches would replace the roughly 100-million-euros-a-year Arianespace receives under Europe's Launchers Exploitation Accompaniment Programme to keep Ariane 5 in service.

[Salo]

https://twitter.com/ASLaunchers/status/749219999412326400

Airbus Safran Lnchrs‏Подлинная учетная запись @ASLaunchers
 The first Ariane 6 rocket is set for launch in 2020! Find out what the launcher of the future looks like:

https://twitter.com/i/videos/749219999412326400?embed_source=facebook

[Salo]

Внезапно:
 

[Salo]

Таки, да!
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Transportation/Launch_vehicles/Ariane_6

The targeted payload performance of Ariane 6 is over 4.5 t for polar/Sun-synchronous orbit missions at 800 km altitude and the injection of two first-generation Galileo satellites. Ariane 6 can loft a payload mass of 4.5–10.5 tonnes in equivalent geostationary transfer orbit.

[Salo]

На ССО ПН меньше чем у Союза-СТ-Б (4,5 т против 4,9 т), а на ГПО больше (4,5 т против 3,25 т).
Будут на ССО использовать вариант EPS?

[Salo]

А здесь всё радужно:
https://www.airbusafran-launchers.com/en/universe_theme/ariane-6-configurations-2/

[Дмитрий В.]

Salo пишет:
Внезапно:

А как же концепция запуска одиночных КА на ГПО на 62?

[Mark]

5th DLR Industrial Days at the Lampoldshausen site, 12.04. 2017

http://www.dlr.de/dlr/presse/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10172/213_read-22066/#/gallery/26833

Starting in 2023, Ariane 6 is scheduled to launch up to 12 times per year and replace the current Ariane 5 system.

[oby1]

Дмитрий В. пишет:
А как же концепция запуска одиночных КА на ГПО на 62?

 Рухнула. Сейчас аврально рисуют А-63.

[Salo]

По ссылке короткое видео:
https://twitter.com/ASLaunchers/status/853251788593664001

 Airbus Safran Lnchrs‏Подлинная учетная запись @ASLaunchers  15 апр.  
Ariane 6's first flight is planned for 2020! But we're already building the plant where we'll assemble the launcher's main stage!

[tnt22]

https://www.airbusafran-launchers.com/en/airbus-safran-launchers-initiates-production-of-the-ariane-6-ground-qualification-models/

April 21, 2017
Press release

Airbus Safran Launchers initiates production of the Ariane 6 ground qualification models

•   The "Maturity Gate 6.1" industrialization review was held March 27 to April 20, 2017, among Airbus Safran Launchers, its industrial partners and independent experts
 
•   Based on the positive outcome of this review, production of the Ariane 6 ground qualification models has been green-lighted
 
•   The first flight of Ariane 6 is scheduled 2020

With "Maturity Gate 6.1", Airbus Safran Launchers and its industrial partners have passed a major milestone in the development of Ariane 6, under contract with the European Space Agency (ESA). The review confirmed that the maturity of the industrialization of Ariane 6 is sufficient to begin production of the ground qualification models for the future European launcher, in accordance with the objectives of the program. This major step follows on from "Maturity Gate 5" which, in 2016, had enabled Airbus Safran Launchers to validate the technical, industrial and programming characteristics of Ariane 6 and to continue with development of the launcher with its partners, as planned.

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"Beginning production of the Ariane 6 qualification elements is an important step forward, reflecting the originality and efficiency of the industrial process set up for its development, production and operation. In this way, we can meet our deadlines and respect our commitments", stated Alain Charmeau, CEO of Airbus Safran Launchers. "The future European launcher is developed using validation milestones called "Maturity Gates", as in the aeronautical industry, and we are going to start production of the first flight models by the end of the year, after reaching "Maturity Gate 6.2."

The Ariane 6 development method, called "Ariane 6 Way", comprises 15 major steps, 6 of which have already been completed. "Maturity Gate 11" will give the green light for the first flight of Ariane 6, while "Maturity Gate 15" will mark the end of development and the start of full operational capacity.

Each "Maturity Gate" takes place under the responsibility of Airbus Safran Launchers, and involves independent experts. "Maturity Gate 6.2" is slated to take place at the end of 2017, so that the production of the first Ariane 6 flight models can begin.

Ariane 6, which is also ideal for constellations, is built on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA) and will be a flexible, modular and competitive launcher available in two versions, Ariane 62 and Ariane 64, to guarantee continued European access to space.

About Airbus Safran Launchers
The Airbus Safran Launchers group develops and supplies innovative and competitive solutions for civil and military space launchers, with expertise in all aspects of state-of-the-art propulsion technologies. Airbus Safran Launchers is lead contractor for Europe's Ariane 5 and Ariane 6 launcher families, responsible for both design and the entire production chain, up to and including marketing by its Arianespace subsidiary, as well as for the missiles of the French oceanic deterrent force. The Airbus Safran Launchers group and its subsidiaries enjoy a global reputation as specialists in the field of equipment and propulsion for space applications, while their expertise also benefits other industrial sectors. The group is a joint venture equally owned by Airbus and Safran, and employs nearly 9,000 highly qualified staff in France and Germany. Its estimated proforma revenues exceed 3 billion euros.

Contacts:
Astrid EMERIT - +33.6.86.65.45.02
 astrid.emerit@airbusafran-launchers.com

Julien WATELET - +33.6.88.06.11.48
 julien.watelet@airbusafran-launchers.com

File to download

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[PIN]

Salo пишет:
По ссылке короткое видео:

Смотрю и не пойму, где они место в Ле Мюро нашли под стройку эту. Территорию, где собирали Ариан-4 вроде же продали после сноса зданий на ней...

[tnt22]

DutchSpace‏ @DutchSpace 3 ч. назад

Nice #Ariane6 models are slowly appearing... @Arianespace @ASLaunchers @AirbusSpace @AirbusDS_NL

[che wi]

Peter B. de Selding‏ @pbdes  4 hours ago

AirbusSafranLaunchers #ArianeGroup signs EUR 170M Ariane 6 tank/structures contract w/ #OHB's MT Aerospace. 12/yr production capacity.

[tnt22]

Peter B. de Selding‏ @pbdes 6 мин назад

1st mechanical tests of P120C booster casing (Ariane 6 SRB/Vega-C 1st stage) completed by @Avio_Group. Next stop: prop tests at spaceport.

[tnt22]

Пресс-релиз
http://www.arianespace.com/press-release/after-a-very-active-first-half-in-2017-arianespace-signs-its-initial-launch-contract-for-the-new-vega-c-launcher-and-gears-up-for-ariane-6/

Ariane 6, Corporate, Vega | June 20, 2017

After a very active first half in 2017, Arianespace signs its initial launch contract for the new Vega C launcher and gears up for Ariane 6

2017 Paris Air Show

Спойлер

Arianespace, which is sharing a chalet with ArianeGroup at this year's Paris Air Show, is focused on the future with the announcement of a first contract for the future Vega C launcher, while gearing up for the operation of Ariane 6. With an order book of 53 launches for Ariane 5, Soyuz and Vega, and fully engaged in marketing Ariane 6, Arianespace continues to prove its ability to satisfy current customers while addressing their future requirements.

Arianespace already has performed six launches this year between January 27 and June 1 – when the company celebrated the 79th successful Ariane 5 mission in a row while also setting a new record for payload injected into geostationary transfer orbit by this heavy launcher.

Arianespace announces the first Vega C contract and a new contract for Vega

Arianespace announced that it has signed the first contract for its Vega C launcher, to deploy Airbus' new generation of very-high-resolution optical Earth observation satellites. The contract provides for the launch of four satellites, using two Vega C launchers from the Guiana Space Center (CSG) in French Guiana, from mid-2020.

Arianespace also announced that it has signed a contract with OHB Italia SpA to launch an Earth observation satellite for the Italian space agency ASI, named PRISMA (PRecursore IperSpettrale della Missione Applicativa), to be orbited by a Vega rocket from the Guiana Space Center in 2018.
With these contracts, Vega and Vega C demonstrate they are perfectly compatible with the current and future launch markets for Earth observation satellites.

In addition to these contracts, Arianespace has signed two Ariane 5 launch contracts for geostationary satellites since the beginning of the year:
 

[/li]
• Horizon-3e, operated by SKY Perfect JSAT and Intelsat through a joint venture, with the launch planned as from the end of 2018,
• A high-throughput communications satellite for Eutelsat, with a launch scheduled in 2019. Along with this mission, Eutelsat also will allocate two satellites, Eutelsat 7C and Eutelsat Quantum, for launches in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Arianespace will therefore launch three satellites for Eutelsat during this two-year period.
  

Arianespace's order book now stands at 4.8 billion euros for 53 launches (18 by Ariane 5, 25 by Soyuz and 10 by Vega/Vega C) on behalf of 28 customers from around the world, clearly reaffirming its leadership in commercial space transport and its ability to meet all market expectations.

Records in performance, reliability and availability for the launcher family

Arianespace set a number of operational records in 2017:

[/li]
• Performance record
  

Arianespace marked a new performance record with the Ariane 5 launcher during its latest launch on June 1, 2017, boosting 10,865 kg into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). This marks an increase of 1,500 kg. since the start of Ariane 5 ECA launches, and the capacity will continue to grow in the coming years.

[/li]
• Reliability record
  

Ariane 5 has carried out 79 successful launches in a row from the CSG, outpacing the record set by Ariane 4 in 2003 with 74 in a row. Vega has made nine launches, all successful, since entering service in 2012 at CSG, while Soyuz has logged a total of 43 missions from Baikonur and CSG.

[/li]
• Availability and flexibility record
  

The three launches delayed because of strikes in French Guiana were subsequently performed in less than a month, from May 4 to June 1, 2017. Arianespace's teams and partners stepped up to the plate during this situation, proving their flexibility and availability, while also reducing the length of launch campaigns by 25% in two years.

Arianespace also launched the first all-electric satellites this year, using Ariane 5 (Eutelsat 172B on June 1st) and Soyuz (SES-15 on May 18th), showing that its launchers are fully compatible with new-generation satellites using electric propulsion.

[/li]
• The 2017 objective: 12 launches
  

The next launch of Ariane 5 is planned for June 28, and will carry the two satellites Hellas-Sat 3-Inmarsat S EAN "condosat" for Inmarsat and Hellas Sat, and GSAT-17 for the Indian space agency ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization). This will bring the total number of launches during the first half of the year to seven. Five more are planned in the second half, depending on payload availability: three by Ariane 5 and two by Vega.

6 successful launches in 4.5 months: January 27 – June 1, 2017 [/li] 8 injected into GTO by Ariane 5 and Soyuz, for a total launch weight of 34.5 metric tons. An Earth observation satellite launched by Vega. 6 more launches planned in 2017: 4 by Ariane 5 and 2 by Vega. 79 successes in a row for Ariane 5 Payload record into GTO of 10,865 kg by Ariane 5

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2017 – 2023: Arianespace's priorities

Building on the first launch contract won by Vega C, Arianespace continues to gear up for the service entry of this upgraded light launcher, which will offer a larger fairing and higher performance.

The marketing of Ariane 6 has also started, including discussions with both government and private operators. Ariane 6 is a modular launcher, available in both the Ariane 62 and Ariane 64 versions, and fitted with a versatile upper stage featuring the new Vinci restartable engine and a new auxiliary power unit (APU), along with large payload capacity. These improvements will in turn enhance orbital injection and allow the launcher to handle an increasingly diversified range of missions, meeting the requirements for the promising mega-constellation market as well as seizing new opportunities with the advent of electric propulsion systems for satellites, while continuing to meet Europe's governmental needs.

At the same time, Arianespace continues to prepare for the operational transition between its current family of launchers and the new-generation Ariane 6 and Vega C, working alongside ArianeGroup, its majority shareholder and industrial prime contractor for Ariane launchers, as well as Avio/ELV, industrial prime contractor for Vega, and the European Space Agency (ESA). The Exploitation Review Key Point (ERKP) planned by ESA for the end of 2017, should finalize the different parameters for this transition phase. This should specify the commitment by European countries and institutions as customers for Ariane 6 and Vega C, thus guaranteeing sustainable and independent access to space for Europe, and also allowing these launchers to compete on a level playing field.

Finally, Arianespace pursuit with ESA the preparation of the LLL initiative (Light satellite-Low cost-Launch Initiative)), which was approved at the ESA Ministerial-level conference in December 2016, to provide low-cost launch services for small satellites on Ariane 6 and Vega C. This initiative clearly reflects Arianespace's determination to grasp all opportunities offered by the growth of the small satellite market.

At the opening of the 2017 Paris Air Show, Arianespace Chief Executive Officer Stéphane Israël said: "With 12 launches performed in 2016, 11 in 2016 and six between the beginning of 2017 and June 1, Arianespace has fully met our customer commitments since the last Paris Air Show in 2015. The performance, reliability and availability records set by, Ariane 5, Soyuz and Vega, once again demonstrate the outstanding launch service quality delivered by Arianespace to the benefit of its customers. With an order book now worth some 4.8 billion euros for 53 launches, we have reaffirmed our leadership in the commercial market, and are preparing for an unprecedented level of activity. By signing the first contract for Vega C and undertaking active preparations for Ariane 6, we are resolutely turning toward the next decade. We are very pleased to undertake these initiatives within the framework of ArianeGroup, in close partnership with Avio/ELV for Vega operations, and with the continued confidence of ESA, national space agencies in Europe and our shareholders – indispensable partners for the success of our future launchers."

Спойлер

About Arianespace

Arianespace uses space to make life better on Earth by providing launch services for all types of satellites into all orbits. It has orbited more than 550 satellites since 1980, using its family of three launchers, Ariane, Soyuz and Vega, from launch sites in French Guiana (South America) and Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Arianespace is headquartered in Evry, near Paris, and has a technical facility at the Guiana Space Center, Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, plus local offices in Washington, D.C., Tokyo and Singapore. Arianespace is a subsidiary of Airbus Safran Launchers, which holds 74% of its share capital, with the balance held by 17 other shareholders from the European launcher industry.

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[Salo]

https://twitter.com/AuerSusan/status/876903307104702467

[tnt22]

http://www.gkn.com/en/newsroom/news-releases/aerospace/2017/gkn-delivers-revolutionary-ariane-6-nozzle-to-airbus-safran-launchers/

20 06 2017 | Aerospace
GKN delivers revolutionary Ariane 6 Nozzle to Airbus Safran Launchers

[/li]
• First nozzle in flight configuration with laser-welded technology and additively manufactured structures
• 90% reduction of component parts, 40% reduction of costs and 30% reduction of production time
• Dedicated manufacturing center of excellence to be opened  in Trollhättan, Sweden in 2018
  

[/SIZE]GKN Aerospace has delivered the first advanced Ariane 6 nozzle (SWAN) to Airbus Safran Launchers in France for the Vulcain 2.1 engine. The new state of the art nozzle, which measures 2.5m in diameter incorporates innovative technologies with higher performance, lower lead times and substantial cost reduction. Large scale use of laser welding and laser metal deposition (additive manufacturing) for key structural features resulted in 90% reduction of component parts, taking it down from approximately 1000 parts to 100 parts. A demonstrator nozzle has already been successfully trialled in a full-scale engine nozzle test as part of the European Space Agency's Ariane  Research and Technology Accompaniment (ARTA) Program. Now the flight configuration nozzle will be mounted in France to the Vulcain 2.1 engine for a test in Germany. The Ariane 6 is scheduled to enter service in 2020. Airbus Safran Launchers is the prime contractor and GKN's customer in this development program funded by the European Space Agency.

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GKN Aerospace will manufacture the nozzle in a new highly automated manufacturing centre in its facility in Trollhättan, Sweden, which is scheduled to open in 2018.



In total GKN Aerospace will provide five complex sub-systems for each Ariane 6 rocket, including four turbine assemblies for the two engines, generating power for the hydrogen and oxygen fuel systems.

Sebastien Aknouche General Manager Space, GKN Aerospace Engine Systems said:

"We are proud to be part of the Ariane 6 team. The advanced nozzle manufactured with breakthrough technologies is a true innovation. With the support of the Swedish National Space Board, we participated in the initial engine demonstrator programs. This allowed us to work with our customer to prove the great added value that innovative technologies like additive manufacturing have for the design and production processes in the space and aerospace industry."

GKN Aerospace's Space business unit, in Trollhättan, Sweden, has been active in the Ariane program from its inception in 1974 and has made over 1,000 combustion chambers and nozzles as well as over 250 turbines for the Ariane rocket to date. Today it is the European centre of excellence for turbines and metallic nozzles, having contributed to the programme at every stage of initial research and development through cooperation with academia to the serial production.

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