The Ariane 6 upper stage in Bremen
The Ariane 6 upper stage in Bremen
The first complete upper stage of Europe's new Ariane 6 launcher was built and integrated at the ArianeGroup factory in Bremen. The stage is equipped with two liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks coupled to the newly developed Vinci engine and with all the lines and valves, as well as the electronic and hydraulic monitoring and control systems. It is now fully operational following final assembly in October 2020 and has passed all hydraulic, electrical and avionics function tests. Known as the Hot Firing Model (HFM), this upper stage will be transported from Bremen to DLR in Lampoldshausen, where it will undergo extensive hot-fire tests.
