N° 38–2023: Media invitation: Ariane 6 test campaign update
8 August 2023
Media representatives are invited to attend an online press briefing and question and answer (Q&A) session on 4 September 2023 to follow the progress achieved and outline upcoming steps in the Ariane 6 development test campaign being conducted at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, and at the German aerospace agency DLR’s technical centre in Lampoldshausen, Germany.
The press briefing is part of the decision made in early June by the Ariane 6 Task Force to provide regular updates on the Ariane 6 launcher development.
The Ariane 6 Launcher Task Force consists of top management of ESA, launch base prime contractor CNES and test conductor, launcher system prime contractor ArianeGroup and launch service provider Arianespace.
The last update on Ariane 6 progress was provided in July after launch system tests were successfully conducted at Europe Spaceport’s in Kourou, French Guiana, on 18 July. The 18 July tests included core-stage tank filling operations as well as a series of operational procedures verifying the performance of the interactions between the launcher and the ground on the Ariane 6 launch pad.
The article was published together with a series of pictures related to the mobile gantry removal and ignition of the Vulcain 2.1 engine thrust chamber.
At the very last part of the 18 July test, after reaching 90% of the test sequence objectives, the very last part of the test – a short hot firing of the Vulcain 2.1 engine – could not be conducted. The Streamlined Management Team decided to run a new test on 29 August 2023, after a necessary reconfiguration of the ground system.
The 4 September media briefing will also provide an update on the next important milestones, these being the upper stage Hot Firing Test 3 (HFT3) to be held in Lampoldshausen on 1 September (*) followed later that month, by a long firing test of the core stage and its engine, the Vulcain 2.1, in Kourou, tentatively scheduled on 26 September (*).
The latter will also give engineering teams all the results needed to define a launch period for the Ariane 6 inaugural flight in 2024.
The press briefing will be held online on 4 September 2023 at 12:00 - 13:00 CEST. In the meantime, media are invited to access the following question and answer document which addresses the progress of the tests.
(*) Dates subject to change
Media registration
Please express interest by Thursday 31 August at 17:00 by completing the registration form.
After registration, media will receive additional information and the link to join the online session.
Media attendance to observe tests
Media are invited to express their interest in attending the long hot firing test of the Vulcain 2.1 engine on 26 September either from Kourou, French Guiana or from ArianeGroup facilities in Les Mureaux by writing to media@esa.int.
This will not comprise a traditional media visit but will enable those interested to see first-hand the tests. Accreditation time and security measures are limiting constraints, which will require ESA to select only a small number of media.
Further information
ESA Newsroom and media relations office: Adelina Campos de Carvalho
Email: media@esa.int ; adelina.campos@esa.int
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