The inaugural launch of Europe’s eagerly anticipated Ariane 6 rocket has been pushed into 2024 due to an incomplete ground test, according to comments made by the head of the European Space Agency (ESA).
ESA, in collaboration with manufacturer ArianeGroup, jointly owned by Airbus and Safran, had been engaged in a series of ground tests for the new Ariane 6 rocket. The rocket is poised to address the void left by the retirement of the Ariane 5 and the recent setback involving the smaller Vega C launcher. These tests were carried out at the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana as well as in Germany.
An essential part of the recent ground tests, involving a brief hot firing of the Vulcain 2.1 engine, was left unfinished. This component of the test has been rescheduled for August 29. While ESA indicated that approximately 90% of the objectives set for July were accomplished, further testing is planned for September, as stated in an invitation to a media briefing on September 4.
ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher confirmed, “After this series of tests, we plan to consolidate a launch date for Ariane 6.” Responding to queries about the possibility of achieving a test launch before the close of the year, Aschbacher conceded, “This is fair to say, yes.”
In June, Airbus Chief Executive Guillaume Faury revealed during the Paris Air Forum that the first test launch of the heavy Ariane 6 launcher was scheduled for the year’s end. However, Faury had also acknowledged that the timeline hinged on the progress made in ground tests over the summer.
Aschbacher’s remarks came in the context of an interview where he underscored the importance of European policymakers maintaining stringent climate targets. He urged them to disregard external pressures to weaken these objectives, pointing to the dire evidence of global warming, evident in record-breaking heatwaves and visible fires from space. He described these phenomena as “really alarming” indicators of the urgent need to address climate change.