In order to provide Europe with independent access to space, several European states decided in 1973 to begin the Ariane programme. This has been one of the most successful European technology programmes, and Germany was an important participant from the very beginning. Space transportation continues to play a central role within the scope of both the European and German space strategies. The overarching goal is to provide a reliable, flexible and competitive European launch system. The Ariane 5 launcher was the flagship of European space travel for many years. With the new Ariane 6 launcher, the Ariane launcher system will undergo further technical development and will be able to be operated competitively on the world market in the future.
Ariane 6
The Member States decided to develop the new Ariane 6 launch system Suring the ESA Council Meeting at Ministerial Level held in December 2014. This decision represented an important milestone. For the Ariane launch system to remain successful in international competition over the long term, it must not only be further developed technically, but also be operated economically. A prerequisite for achieving these goals was a restructuring of the European launcher sector; responsibilities, costs and risks will in future be shared between ESA and the European space industry. The launch costs should therefore be substantially reduced compared to Ariane 5.
This cost reduction and the modernisation of the proven Ariane system are important advantages during the current rapid changes in the commercial launcher market, which new participants are increasingly entering. For Ariane 6, many components draw on the experience and technologies of Ariane 5. The designers have combined existing components that have proven reliable with new elements. The new European launcher Ariane 6 was successfully launched into space on 9 July 2024.
The new Ariane 6 uses the propellant combination of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen in both the main and upper stages. The new main stage is technologically based on the ‘old’ main stage of Ariane 5 but is designed to be cost-optimised. The upper stage is a modification of the new upper stage already planned for Ariane 5 ME, with the re-ignitable Vinci engine. Depending on the configuration, Ariane 6 can carry a payload of four-and-a-half or 12 tonnes to GTO; for this it is equipped with either two or four solid-propellant boosters. It is constructed by the European space company ArianeGroup.
Germany is also involved in the development of Ariane 6, contributing approximately 21 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. The DLR site in Lampoldshausen was significantly involved in all development stages of the Ariane 6 propulsion system – testing the Vinci and Vulcain engines, their further development and the qualification of the entire upper stage.
The new European Ariane 6 launcher
The new European Ariane 6 launcher will guarantee Europe’s independent access to space in the future. Just like its predecessors, Ariane 6 will be a ‘dynamic’ launcher that is intended to evolve continuously.
Lift-off of the Ariane 5 launcher with the communications satellite Heinrich Hertz on board
An Ariane 5 launcher with the German communications satellite Heinrich Hertz and the French military satellite Syracuse 4B on board successfully lifted off from the European Spaceport at Kourou in French Guiana at 00:00 CEST on 6 July 2023.
Image: 2/3, Credit:
2023 ESA/CNES/Arianespace/Optique video du CSG/P. Piron
Ariane 5 has one of the best records of all regularly operated launchers worldwide. In service since 1996, Ariane 5 is designed to transport heavy payloads, weighing up to 11 tonnes, into Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) using a dual-launch system. The European launcher has gained a considerable market share in this segment of launch services for telecommunications satellites – it has not only carried more than 100 satellites and spacecraft into space, but also launched the European Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) freighters on their way to the International Space Station ISS. One of the most prestigious space missions of all time, the NASA, ESA and CSA James Webb Space Telescope, the successor to the famous Hubble Space Telescope, flew on an Ariane 5 at the end of 2021. On its last flight on 6 July 2023, it launched the German communications satellite Heinrich Hertz into space.
