ESA Ariane 6 Clears Final Test Ahead Of Maiden Flight

Europe's Ariane 6 rocket has successfully completed a crucial fueling test and countdown rehearsal, marking the final significant milestone ahead of its first launch scheduled for July.

The European Space Agency (ESA) announced on June 21 that the first Ariane 6 rocket underwent its final 'wet dress rehearsal' on June 20 at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The test simulated the launch sequence up to just a few seconds before engine ignition and liftoff.

In this pivotal rehearsal, the rocket was loaded with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants and subjected to a countdown sequence.

"The wet dress rehearsal is the very final milestone before launch...to fine-tune the delicate operations required up until liftoff, using the real rocket’s actual flight hardware and software for the first time." - Guy Pilchen, Ariane 6 Launcher Project Manager at ESA.

Originally slated for June 18, the test was postponed by two days. ESA officials assured that this delay was not due to major issues and would not impact the inaugural launch date, which remains set for July 9.

“The preparations towards the inaugural flight are really, really progressing well...There is no showstopper, so everything proceeds nominally, but there is still, of course, a lot of work to be done towards the inaugural flight," - Josef Aschbacher, ESA Director General

Further analysis of data from the wet dress rehearsal will continue until June 26, and ESA has planned a series of media briefings on June 25 to discuss the pre-launch preparations.

Ariane 6 is critical to ESA's strategy to resolve a "launcher crisis" that has temporarily deprived Europe of independent access to space. This crisis resulted from several factors, including delays in the Ariane 6 development, which pushed its debut past the final launch of Ariane 5 nearly a year ago, issues with the Vega C rocket that sidelined it following a failure 18 months ago, and the loss of access to the Soyuz rocket following Russia's invasion of Ukraine over two years ago.

In November 2023, ESA announced an agreement for the "stabilized exploitation" of the Ariane 6 and Vega C rockets, providing 340 million euros ($364 million) annually to support Ariane 6. This agreement stipulates that the companies developing Ariane 6 must reduce their costs by 11%.

“We are on track for that,” - Josef Aschbacher, ESA Director General, noting significant progress in recent discussions with key suppliers.

Additionally, the November 2023 agreement called for transferring Vega C launch services responsibility from Arianespace to Avio, the rocket's prime contractor. Although discussions on this transfer are ongoing, ESA's role in mediating negotiations.

"The conditions for the transfer of Vega C from Arianespace to Avio are clear...We have made enormous progress and are very close, I would say, to having closed the open items." - Josef Aschbacher, ESA Director General

While the ESA Council was expected to approve this transfer in its meeting concluding on June 19, it will instead finalize the transfer in a separate meeting by the end of the month.