Ariane 6 upper composite transfer-installation

The Ariane 6 test model upper composite – consisting of two half-fairings and a payload mock-up with the structural adapter needed to join it to the core stage – made the 10 km trip from the encapsulation building to launch pad on 12 October 2022.

Assembly, transfer and installation of an upper composite validated the Ariane 6 assembly process. Over the next weeks, teams from ESA, ArianeGroup and French space agency CNES made the mechanical, electrical and fluid connections which joined the test model of the Ariane 6 to the launch pad.

With Ariane 6 fully integrated with the pad, so-called combined tests validated the rocket, launch pad and shared electrical, fluid and mechanical systems as a complete system. The combined tests included tank filling and drainage operations which guarantee smooth-running of a launch sequence. Flight and control bench software were also be tested.