Ariane 6 Payloads Selected for Upcoming First Flight

The first Ariane 6 payloads have been selected for the upcoming first flight of the new booster. ESA closely collaborated with ArianeGroup and Arianespace to select payloads which best fit the profile of the first mission of its new generation launch vehicle from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

The Ariane 6 inaugural launch is a key step towards full qualification of the Ariane 6 launch system.”

Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA Director of Space Transportation.

The Ariane 6 payload selection follows ESA’s announcement of opportunity in November 2021, which offered a launch to low Earth orbit for experiments up to a total mass of 80 kg (≈186 pounds) and release of payloads with a combined mass of up to 800 kg (≈1,764) pounds. They will be hosted on a ‘mass dummy’ featuring a large platform, inside the 14 m (≈46 feet) long version of the fairing on an Ariane 6 fitted with two strap-on boosters (A62 version).

This demonstration flight will contribute to the qualification of the Ariane 6 launch system as part of the transition from its highly reliable and successful predecessor, Ariane 5. This launch is an important step in the preparation for future institutional missions planned for Ariane 6, such as Galileo.

For this flight, ESA is responsible for operations from the launch campaign to the payload separation, and then disposal of the upper stage through burn-up during reentry.

“I’m glad that ESA can use the very first Ariane 6 flight as a platform for launching these fantastic payloads, some of which will enable European start-ups to validate their systems and provide future commercial services. The Ariane 6 inaugural launch is a key step towards full qualification of the Ariane 6 launch system,” said Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA Director of Space Transportation.

The Ariane 6 payloads include four experiments, ranging in mass from 0.15–12 kg, that will be fixed to the platform on top of the mass dummy. These experiments will return valuable data up to the end of the mission when the upper stage re-enters Earth’s atmosphere.

Two deployers will be arranged on board and will accommodate CubeSats. The RAMI deployer is built by Spain’s UARX Space, and the ExoPOD is built by ExoLaunch in Germany.

With some spaces for CubeSats still available, ESA may add to this manifest closer to launch.

Ariane 6 is a modular launch vehicle using two or four P120C strap-on boosters to achieve the required performance. The reignitable Vinci engine powers the upper stage which allows Ariane 6 to reach a range of orbits to deliver more payloads on a single launch. The upper stage engine will typically burn one, two or more times to reach the required orbits. After payload separation a final burn de-orbits the upper stage to mitigate space debris.

(Image provided with ESA news release)