Watch as Europe’s new Ariane 6 rocket goes through a full-scale rehearsal in preparation for its first flight, when teams from @ArianeGroup, @CnesFrance and ESA on the ground will complete a launch countdown rehearsal. The test includes the ignition of the core stage Vulcain 2.1 engine, followed by 470 seconds of stabilised operation covering the entire core stage flight phase, as it would function on a launch into space.
Coverage started 19:40 UTC (20:40 CET) on 23 November 2023, 20 minutes before engine ignition and continue five minutes after core stage operation, once the engine burns through all its propellant.
Timestaps of the video:
00:00 – 16:18 – Stay tuned
16:19 – 47:49 – Countdown and stop of countdown
47:50 – 01:14:19 – Stay tuned
01:14:20 – 01:30:43 – Restart of countdown and hot-fire test
For this rehearsal, the boosters were not ignited, so Ariane 6 stayed firmly on the launch pad at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
The eight-minute engine-fire trial reenacts how the Ariane 6 core stage will fire during a normal flight into space. The trial, conducted with a test model on the launch pad at Europe’s Spaceport will be the longest ‘full-stack’ run yet for Ariane 6’s lower liquid propulsion module equipped with a Vulcain 2.1 engine.
The Vulcain 2.1 engine will burn through almost 150 tonnes of propellant supplied from the Ariane 6 core stage tanks – liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen – supercooled to temperatures below -250°C.
The Vulcain 2.1 engine is an evolution of the Vulcain 2 engine that made Ariane 5 Europe’s most successful launch system ever. The upgrade has a simplified and cheaper design and features new technology in the engine nozzle, while the ignition system has been moved from the engine to the launch pad to make the core stage perform better and cost less.
Credits: ESA – European Space Agency
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