During the ESA Council Meeting at Ministerial Level in December 2014, the member states decided to develop a new launcher – Ariane 6. This new generation means that the Ariane launch system will undergo further technical development and will be able to be operated competitively on the world market in the future. This requires some restructuring in the European launcher sector, so that responsibilities, costs and risks will be shared between ESA and the European space industry. The launch costs should be reduced by approximately half compared to Ariane 5.
This cost reduction and the modernisation of the proven Ariane system are key advantages in the current rapidly changing commercial launcher market, which is increasingly being entered by new players. The experience and technologies of Ariane 5 will be used for many components of Ariane 6. The designers are combining existing components that have proven to be reliable with new elements. The maiden flight of the Ariane 6, which is approximately 60 metres tall, is planned for 2024.
Both the lower and upper stages of Ariane 6 will be powered by a propellant combination of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The main stage will be an advanced iteration of the Ariane 5 design, combined with an upgraded version of the proven Vulcain 2 engine. The upper stage is based on technologies already developed for Ariane 5 ME. These include the re-ignitable Vinci engine, which enables a wide range of missions with its flexible shutdown and ignition possibilities.
The solid-propellant boosters will enable a greater variety of applications compared to Ariane 5. Depending on the configuration, Ariane 6 can be equipped with two (A62 version) or four boosters (A64 version) and transport between five and 11 tonnes of payload into space. These boosters are also used for Vega C, a further development of the Vega system.
ESA’s main contractor for the development and manufacture of Ariane 6 is ArianeGroup, a joint venture between Airbus Defence and Space and the French engine manufacturer Safran. Germany is also involved in the development of Ariane 6, contributing approximately 23 percent of the total cost of the programme. The German Space Agency at DLR is coordinating the German component of the ESA budget on behalf of the Federal Government.
