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Function | A62: Medium-lift launch vehicle A64: Heavy-lift launch vehicle |
---|---|
Manufacturer | ArianeGroup |
Country of origin | European multi-national[a] |
Project cost | €3.6 billion[1] |
Cost per launch | A62: €75 million A64: €115 million[2][3] |
Size | |
Height | 63 m (207 ft) |
Diameter | 5.4 m (18 ft) |
Mass | A62: 530,000 kg (1,170,000 lb) A64: 860,000 kg (1,900,000 lb) |
Stages | 2 |
Capacity | |
Payload to LEO | |
Mass | A64: 21,650 kg (47,730 lb) A62: 10,350 kg (22,820 lb)[4] |
Payload to GTO | |
Orbital inclination | 6° |
Mass | A64: 11,500 kg (25,400 lb) A62: 4,500 kg (9,900 lb)[4] |
Payload to GEO | |
Orbital inclination | 0° |
Mass | A64: 5,000 kg (11,000 lb)[4] |
Payload to SSO | |
Orbital inclination | 97.4° |
Mass | A64: 15,500 kg (34,200 lb) A62: 7,200 kg (15,900 lb)[4] |
Payload to LTO | |
Mass | A64: 8,600 kg (19,000 lb) A62: 3,500 kg (7,700 lb)[4] |
Associated rockets | |
Family | Ariane |
Comparable | Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, H3, Vulcan Centaur |
Launch history | |
Status | Active |
Launch sites | Guiana Space Centre, ELA-4 |
Total launches | 1 |
Partial failure(s) | 1[disputed – discuss] |
First flight | 9 July 2024[5] |
Boosters – P120C | |
No. boosters | 2 or 4 |
Diameter | 3 m (9.8 ft) |
Propellant mass | 142,000 kg (313,000 lb) |
Maximum thrust | 3,500 kN (790,000 lbf) each |
Burn time | 130 seconds |
Propellant | HTPB / AP / Al |
First stage | |
Diameter | 5.4 m (18 ft) |
Propellant mass | 140,000 kg (310,000 lb) |
Powered by | 1 × Vulcain 2.1 |
Maximum thrust | 1,370 kN (310,000 lbf) |
Burn time | 468 seconds |
Propellant | LH2 / LOX |
Second stage | |
Diameter | 5.4 m (18 ft) |
Propellant mass | 31,000 kg (68,000 lb) |
Powered by | 1 × Vinci |
Maximum thrust | 180 kN (40,000 lbf) |
Burn time | Up to 900 seconds and four burns[6] |
Propellant | LH2 / LOX |
Ariane 6 is a European expendable launch system operated by Arianespace and developed and produced by ArianeGroup on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA). It replaces Ariane 5, as part of the Ariane launch vehicle family.
This two-stage rocket utilizes liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen (hydrolox) engines. The first stage features an upgraded Vulcain engine from Ariane 5, while the second uses the Vinci engine, designed specifically for this rocket. The Ariane 62 variant uses two P120 solid rocket boosters, while Ariane 64 uses four. The P120 booster is shared with Europe's other launch vehicle, Vega C, and is an improved version of the P80 rocket stage used on the original Vega.
Selected in December 2014 over an all-solid-fuel option, Ariane 6 was originally targeted for a 2020 launch. However, the program encountered delays, with the first launch occurring on 9 July 2024.
Ariane 6 was designed to halve launch costs and increase annual capacity from seven to eleven missions compared to its predecessor, but the program has faced controversy over high costs and lack of reusability versus competitors' rockets, such as SpaceX's Falcon 9. European officials defend the program, saying it provides crucial independent space access for its member states.
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